Good Morning Britain’s most-complained about segment has been unveiled, as it accumulates another 452 Ofcom complaints.
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The ITV breakfast show this week faced hundreds of objections regarding an interview featuring a 100-year-old World War II veteran alongside Kate Garraway and Adil Ray, with viewers confessing it moved them to tears.
Nevertheless, the regulator’s most-complained about segment of all time generated more than 100 times that number of complaints.
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Last year, when Ofcom celebrated its 500th edition of its weekly Broadcast Bulletin, it disclosed which programmes attracted the most complaints since its inception in 2003.
Claiming the top position, making it television’s most-complained about segment in history, was a Good Morning Britain episode, reports Wales Online.
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An edition that broadcast on March 8 2021 generated 54,595 complaints, and has subsequently become recognised as one of the most infamous television moments in history.
The programme featured a debate concerning Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, during which the Duchess of Sussex discussed her mental health struggles.
Former Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan pursued his ongoing dispute with Meghan Markle on the ITV programme, asserting he “didn’t believe” that she had experienced suicidal thoughts.
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That very day, Morgan departed Good Morning Britain by dramatically storming out of the studio following a confrontation with Alex Beresford.
ITV subsequently issued a statement declaring: “Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain. ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add.”
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Morgan has since addressed the notorious incident, responding to the complaints on X which he claims totalled 57,000. He remarked: “Only 57,000? I’ve had more people than that come up and congratulate me in the street for what I said. The vast majority of Britons are right behind me.”
Despite the thousands of complaints, Ofcom determined that Good Morning Britain hadn’t breached broadcasting regulations, stating: “We reminded ITV of the need to take greater care around content discussing mental health and suicide in future.”
Other entries on Ofcom’s top ten list of most-complained about moments included an I’m A Celebrity episode, a 2021 Love Island instalment, the alleged harassment of Shilpa Shetty on Celebrity Big Brother in 2007, Roxanne Pallett’s Celebrity Big Brother appearance in 2018, and Julia Hartley-Brewer’s interview with Palestinian politician Dr Mustafa Barghouti on TalkTV last year.
The latter also ranked as 2024’s most-complained about moment, whilst Good Morning Britain secured second place following Ed Balls’ interview with his wife Yvette Cooper, with viewers arguing he couldn’t remain “impartial” given their marriage
