Ofcomwill not be taking any action after receiving more than 8,000 complaints about Adjoa Andoh saying the Buckingham Palace balcony was “terribly white”.
Adjoa Andoh plays Lady Agatha Danbury in the Netflix show Bridgerton, and made the comment during ITV’s coverage of the coronation on May 6, 2022.
“Looking at all those young people, there is a bit of me that has gone from the rich diversity of the abbey to the terribly white balcony. I’m very struck by that,” she said.
In 2022, Ofcom, the communications regulator in the UK, received 36,543 complaints about more than 9,500 issues, and completed 74 broadcast standards investigations.
So from game shows to reality TV, here are some of the most complained about showbiz moments.
Piers Morgan’s comments on Meghan Markle, Good Morning Britain, 2021: 57,121 complaints
Piers, and his comments on the Oprah interview with Meghan and Harry, is officially the most complained moment in Ofcom history, at 57,121 complaints. During the interview, Megan Markle opened up about her mental health struggles, revealing that she had felt suicidal and “didn’t want to be alive”. Piers Morgan hosted Good Morning Britain after the interview aired, and said he “didn’t believe” her claims. This led to Morgan quitting the show.
Jade Goody and Shilpa Shetty, Celebrity Big Brother, 2007: 44,500 complaints
Following comments made towards Shilpa Shetty in 2007, Ofcom was overwhelmed with complaints, receiving a huge 44,500. During this series (five), housemates called Shetty “Princess” and “the Indian”, saying they couldn’t pronounce her name. During an argument, Goody also told Shetty she needed “a day in the slums” and “etiquette lessons”. She also called her “Shilpa Poppadom”, along with a number of other names.
The Jerry Springer musical, 2005: 55,000 complaints
In 2005, the Jerry Springer show was turned into a musical on BBC Two called The Opera. It was the second-most complained about TV moment in British history. The themes were said to be offensive: too provocative, with swear words and jokes about Jesus being “a bit gay”. A Christian lobby group also tried to take a BBC director to court for blasphemy.
Ghostwatch leaving viewers ‘traumatised’, 1992: 30,000 complaints
In spoof horror show Ghostwatch, which viewers were led to believe was real, 30,000 “traumatised” viewers complained after the show stopped suddenly, with just dead air, after a terrifying scene with a paramedic at the ‘haunted house’. As a result, the show was banned for 10 years. However, it has never been back on TV since and is only available to watch on DVD.
Jon Snow’s comments on a Brexit rally, Channel 4 News, 2019: 2,717 complaints
“I’ve never seen so many white people in one place,” Jon Snow said, speaking about a Brexit rally in 2019. The broadcaster faced a backlash online from critics after clips of his remarks were posted on social media. This led to Channel 4 issuing an apology.
Misogynistic and bullying behaviour by some contestants in the Love Island villa, 2022: 2,630 complaints
The infamous Love Island Movie Night prompted 2,630 complaints related to “alleged misogynistic behaviour and bullying behaviour by some contestants in the villa”, after Ekin-Su was branded a “liar” by Davide, just one of the many clashes that took place that night.
The treatment of contestant Tasha Gouri was also called into question, with 1,523 complaining after the episode aired on July 19.
Matt Hancock’s appearance on I’m a Celebrity.... Get Me Out of Here!, 2022: 1,100 complaints
1,100 objected to Matt Hancock being in the jungle, as he was still serving as MP for West Suffolk. A statement from Ofcom said: “It’s worth being aware that, under our rules, in principle — and taking into account freedom of expression — there’s no ban on any particular person taking part in programmes.
“However, if the mere presence of a person is likely to cause offence, we would expect broadcasters to take steps to mitigate or justify that offence.
“How they do that editorially is up to them.”
Good Morning Britain, 2022: 850 complaints
850 complaints were filed following comments made by Richard Madeley about death threats made to Keir Starmer. On the show, Madeley discussed the Labour leader’s experience, explaining there are trolls who have been calling for Starmer’s execution. Madeley followed up by downplaying the threats, asking whether it was “that big a deal”.
