Broadcast regulator Ofcom has revealed its top 10 most complained about shows of the year, topped by Talk TV’s Julia Hartley-Brewer.
- Top 10 most complained about shows made up 61% of all complaints to Ofcom about TV shows.
- In most cases, Ofcom took no further action.
- BBC programmes not included in Ofcom top 10.
The Julia Hartley-Brewer show on TalkTV (prior to the channel’s switch to an online-only service) and an episode of ITV1’s Good Morning Britain accounted for almost half of all complaints to Ofcom this year.
The TalkTV show triggered a January surge to Ofcom’s complaints department after controversial comments made by Julia Hartley-Brewer in an interview with Dr Mustafa Barghouti, the general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative.
Overall, Ofcom’s annual top 10 was dominated by talk, discussion and reality shows, with Love Island once again featuring amongst the most complained about shows. Sky News and GB News avoided inclusion in this year’s list, which was dominated by ITV1 and ITV2 programmes.
In most cases, controversial topics were trigger for complaints to Ofcom. And also in most cases, Ofcom took no further action after investigating the complaints. However, the regulator did remind TalkTV and ITV1 of their obligations. Election coverage complaints made up just 4% of Ofcom’s complaints workload this year.
▶ Top 10 most complained about TV shows in 2024
1. Julia Hartley-Brewer, TalkTV, 3rd January – 17,366 complaints
Comments made by Julia Hartley-Brewer during an interview with Dr Mustafa Barghouti, the general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative. Ofcom told TalkTV to take extra care to ensure that potentially highly offensive comments are editorially justified.
2. Good Morning Britain, ITV1, 5th August – 16,851 complaints
The vast majority of complaints concerned an interview with Zarah Sultana, MP for Coventry South. Ofcom also received around a thousand complaints about the same programme from viewers who objected to Ed Balls interviewing his wife, Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary. The regulator reminded ITV of the need to make such relationships clear to viewers and to take particular care over the compliance of any such interviews to ensure that due impartiality is preserved.
3. Love Island, ITV2, 24th July – 1,832 complaints
Viewers complained about the behaviour of Joey Essex and Sean Stone in this episode.
4. Good Morning Britain, ITV1, 30th May – 1,777 complaints
Complaints followed a debate between two guests, Mike Parry and Kay Taiwo about whether XL bullies should be put down. While comments made by Mr Parry were potentially offensive to some viewers, they were met with significant challenge from dog trainer and XL Bully owner, Ms Taiwo, who put forward a strongly opposed point of view.
5. Emmerdale, ITV1, 27th and 28th May – 1,193 complaints
Ofcom received complaints after Tom was seen injecting a dog with an unknown substance, as part of ongoing coercive control storyline.
6. Big Brother, ITV2, 7th November – 747 complaints
Ofcom assessed complaints from viewers about a comment by Sarah, which they considered to be racially offensive.
7. Sunak v Starmer: The ITV Debate, ITV1, 4th June – 710 complaints
Ofcom considered complaints about a range of issues.
8. Good Morning Britain, ITV1, 2nd October – 705 complaints
We received complaints about an interview with Nigel Farage. While the line of questioning was robust, we considered most viewers of this programme were likely to expect this type of interview with political figures. Mr Farage was also given sufficient opportunity to clearly articulate his point of view.
9. This Morning, ITV1, 28th May – 647 complaints
Some viewers were concerned that comments made by Nick Ferrari during the programme trivialised nut allergies.
10. Big Brother, ITV2, 22nd October – 553 complaints
The majority of complaints were about imagery on a contestant’s clothing.
[Data: Ofcom]
By: Marc Thornham | Image: TalkTV