Davide continues to delight Love Island fans with his one-liners
(Picture: ITV)Love Island has sparked 3,617 Ofcom complaints in just one week.
Many complaints cited the “alleged misogynistic behaviour by some of the male contestants” as the reason for their objections.
Figures released by the UK’s media regulator on Wednesday revealed 2,481 viewers complained about the male Islanders’ behaviour during Sunday’sMovie Night episode.
The explosive Mad Movies episode saw Luca Bish, Davide Sanclimenti and Dami Hope come under fire from fans for their treatment of the girls.
Then a further 413 complaints were received for the following night’s episode and were “related to alleged bullying and misogynistic behaviour from some of the male contestants” during a game of Suck and Blow.
During the game of dares which aired on Monday’s show, viewers watched Luca and Dami repeatedly criticise Tasha Ghouri’s behaviour during her relationship with Andrew Le Page.
Fans also expressed concern for Luca’s treatment of his partner Gemma Owen after he was left fuming over a clip of the 19-year-old supposedly “flirting” with fellow islander Billy Brown.
Friday’s episode received 167 complaints about the first installment of Movie Night when footage was shown of Ekin-Su CülcüloÄlu in bed with George Tasker during Casa Amor.
Davide branded Ekin-Su “a liar” after the clip was shown, despite her claiming “nothing happened”.
And it wasn’t only the boys’ conduct that has irked viewers as 427 viewers complained about Sunday’s installment of Aftersun.
Host Laura Whitmore and panellists angered viewers when they speculated about what happened between Ekin-Su and George in Casa Amor.
Others were concerned for the wellbeing of ex-Islander Jacques O’Neill in his post-show interview after he quit to protect his mental health.
Finally, last Tuesday’s episode received 129 complaints, with the majority “related to Adam entering the villa, and Jacques’ wellbeing in the lead up to and during his departure from the villa.”
Prior to the figures being published, Women’s Aid have already revealed they are in talks with ITV over the “misogyny and controlling behaviour” being shown on the ITV2 dating series.
A statement from the charity this week insisted “specific information on abusive relationships and an understanding of controlling behaviour in relationships” is missing from the channel’s “inclusive training” ahead of the show.
In light of the Ofcome complaints, a spokesperson for Love Island told the Evening Standard: “We cannot stress highly enough how seriously we treat the emotional well-being of all of our Islanders. Welfare is always our greatest concern, and we have dedicated welfare producers and psychological support on hand at all times, who monitor and regularly speak to all of the Islanders in private and off camera.
“At the same time, we also have a duty of care towards the Islanders, none of whom have any means of defending themselves against these highly damaging labels, as well as a duty of care towards their next of kin, and we are naturally concerned that this could provoke a negative response on social media.
“Ahead of this series, contributors on the show were offered video training and guidance covering inclusive language around disability, sexuality, race and ethnicity, behaviours and microaggressions. We are always looking at how we expand and evolve on this training to ensure that all of our Islanders feel they are part of a safe and inclusive environment.”
“Laura is the presenter of the show, and part of that role is to pose questions to the panel and discuss events in the Villa. We do not condone trolling against either our host or our Islanders and any subsequent elevation of these comments.
“We had various measures in place to ensure Jacques’ welfare was prioritised at all times ahead of and during his appearance on Aftersun.
“This included a full briefing with show producers to outline the show’s content and likely questioning, a conversation with Laura before and after the show was recorded, and chaperoning from both a welfare producer and a member of his family while he was in studio. Should an Islander not wish to participate in the Aftersun recording, we would always respect that decision.”
Love Island continues tonight on ITV2 at 9pm.
