UK TV and Radio News

Adam Baxter, Ofcom Director of Standards and Audience Protection writes:

Over the year, we received 36,543 complaints about over 9,500 issues, and completed 74 broadcast standards investigations. We found in 66 of these cases that our rules had been broken. We also completed 45 fairness and privacy investigations during the year, of which six complaints were upheld. These figures show the weight we place on freedom of expression, and that we only step in when it's really needed.

Importantly, this number doesn't include complaints about programmes on the BBC. These are handled by the BBC in the first instance. In the summer, we told the BBC that we expect it to improve how it handles complaints from viewers and listeners. And we were pleased to see it recently announce that it would be changing its processes to make it easier for people to complain.

2022's list of most complained about programmes is, once again, dominated by reality TV -- in particular ITV's Love Island and I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! Given the large viewing figures, and the headlines and conversations created by these shows -- both online and offline -- it is not surprising to see them topping our chart.

Top ten complaints:

• Love Island, ITV2, 17 July - complaints related to alleged misogynistic and bullying behaviour by some contestants in the villa.
• I'm a Celebrity.... Get me out of here!, ITV, 6-27 November - viewers objected to the inclusion of Matt Hancock in the series.
• Friday Night Live, Channel 4, 21 October - complaints related to a performance by Jordan Gray.
• Love Island, ITV2, 19 July - complaints related to alleged misogynistic and bullying behaviour by some contestants in the villa.
• Good Morning Britain, ITV, 15 February - complaints related to comments made by Richard Madeley about death threats made to Keir Starmer.
• Jeremy Vine, Channel 5, 24 January - viewers complained about a health consultant's inaccurate statement about numbers of unvaccinated people in hospital with Covid-19.
• Love Island, ITV2, 18 July - complaints related to alleged misogynistic and bullying behaviour by some contestants in the villa.
• I'm a Celebrity.... Get me out of here!, ITV, 13 November - viewers objected to bullying behaviour against Matt Hancock.
• FIFA World Cup Final 2022: Argentina v France, ITV, 18 December - complaints related to politicised comments from Gary Neville.
• Sky News, Sky News, 10 September - a Justice for Chris Kaba walk was reported as people on their way to pay tribute to the late Queen. Ofcom is investigating whether this breached our rules on due accuracy.

The BBC is shaking up its complaints process after TV censor Ofcom told it to be more open with its feedback.

The broadcaster will make its online complaints page easier to find and use. It also aims to improve how editorial teams respond to complaints. BBC director-general Tim Davie claimed:

Trust is a core value of the BBC. If audiences want to raise a complaint they must be dealt with swiftly, fairly and consistently. The process must be easy to understand.

It will be interesting to see if the BBC continues its policy of never actually publishing what is being complained about. The BBC merely acknowledges that complaints have been received about a programme, and then often provides a wishy washy response with out addressing details of the complaint.

Channel 4 has been having fun with a naked performance from the transgender Jordan Gray on Friday Night Live.

The comedian appeared on the Channel 4 celebration special. Gray finished the  performance by stripping off entirely and playing the piano with a flaccid penis.

Some loved the performance as right on but others fired off 1,400 complaints to Ofcom .

Meanwhile Spiked asks why a transgender penis is considered right think but that of a straight male comedian Jerry Sadowitz is considered totally reprehensible.

Offsite Comment: Sexist comedy is back

26th October 2022. See article from spiked-online.com by Brendan O'Neill

Update:Ofcom decides not to address viewer complaints

8th November 2022. See article from huffingtonpost.co.uk

Ofcom Rejects Complaints Over Comic Jordan Gray's Naked Performance On Friday Night Live

A total of 1,538 people complained to Ofcom about the live broadcast, which saw the performer stripping completely nude.

Ofcom said it in latest Complaints Bulletin that it will not be taking the matter any further.

Banned! The Mary Whitehouse Story is a 2022 UK TV documentary

In 1963, armed with just a typewriter, a Midlands housewife began a 30-year battle against the permissive society. But how successful was the original cancel culture warrior?

Offsite Review: The BBC's faint praise for Mary Whitehouse

A new documentary claims to be even-handed but can't quite manage it

See article from unherd.com by Charlie Bentley-Astor

Banned! is a new BBC documentary that dubs the 1960s teacher-cum-morality campaigner, Mary Whitehouse, the original cancel culture warrior. A flawed but vindicated woman is the headline. But was she a reactionary or a revolutionary? Was she right in her conviction that Britain was in a media-driven moral decline?