Good Morning Britain has been hit with further Ofcom complaints after Richard Madeley grilled a climate activist in a heated live debate on the ITV morning programme last week.
The 65-year-old TV presenter did not hold back as he interviewed Just Stop Oil protester Miranda Whelehan in the studio alongside Ranvir Singh.
The ITV programme last week received 59 complaints as a result of the interview, but Ofcom have announced that this has now increased to 147.
The heated interview saw Richard label the group’s slogan “quite childish” and claim the programme hadn't had a single message of support for the petrol pump protests.
Richard began the discussion by saying to Miranda: “Many people would agree that we have to wean ourselves off oil, we have to wean ourselves off fossil fuels, we have to develop renewables, I certainly feel that.
“But at the same time they deeply resent having their personal lives massively interrupted by the actions of people like you. Do you accept that you're possibly alienating people who, in a general sense, would support your background cause?”
Miranda replied: "I would say I don't think any of us want to be disrupting people's lives, but I think given the science and the things the academics are saying about what oil is causing around the world and in this country, this is the level of action that needs to be taken when our government is failing on their energy policies and their climate pledges."
Richard then fired back: "But you'd accept wouldn't you that it's a very complicated discussion to be had? It's a very complicated thing and this 'just stop oil' slogan is very playground-ish, it's very Vicky Pollard, it's quite childish.
"'Just stop oil', I mean come on, there's more to say than that isn't there?" Richard then added.
This comes as Richard Madeley has said he is unsure about his future on the flagship ITV morning programme, where he usually sits alongside Susanna Reid from Monday to Wednesday.
Richard has admitted he could see his time on the show come to an end sooner rather than later after joining the group of male co-presenters to replace Piers Morgan.
Speaking on Kate Thornton's podcast, White Wine Question Time, Richard said: "But in terms of what I do on my own, which at the moment is Good Morning Britain, although who knows how long that'll go on for.
"I'm doing it month to month at the moment and I'm very happy to. I quite like operating at that level, I've had my main career curve. I'm not seeking some huge career arc, we'll see what happens. But I enjoy it, I enjoy doing it."
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.
