This Morning has scrapped its energy and household bills cash prizes after sparking an online backlash and Ofcom complaints.
The ITV programme came under fire on Monday for its “dystopian” prize offering after callers were given the opportunity to have their energy bills paid for four months on Spin to Win amid the cost of living crisis.
Usually, viewers can win up to £2,000 or a staycation in the UK, although, This Morning producers had added an extra prize at the beginning of this week.
Despite the huge uproar, the segment continued the following day, this time with energy bills changed to “household bills up to a value of £3,000”.
#ThisMorning has turned completely dystopian and Black Mirror by offering to pay energy bills as a competition prize. pic.twitter.com/hs1DD6NXbo
— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) September 5, 2022
Viewers took to social media to voice their outrage while others turned to media watchdog Ofcom, which confirmed to the Standard it has so far received 170 complaints.
In a statement sent to the Standard, a spokesperson for Ofcom said it was currently “assessing the complaints against our broadcasting rules” with regards to the controversy.
They added that they are “yet to decide whether or not to investigate.”
On Wednesday, the game returned for a third day, however this time, neither energy bills or household bills were an option on the wheel, with the top cash prize being £2,000 instead.
“You can put that towards your energy bills, it could be supermarket bills, could be petrol, could be gin, whatever you fancy,” said host Phillip Schofield, in an apparent nod to the furore.
The Standard has contacted a representative for This Morning and for Ofcom for comment.
