Laurence Fox’s deeply misogynistic tirade continues Dan Wootton tonight, which led to the actor and politician’s sacking from GB News, which was Ofcom’s most complained about television program of the year in 2023.
The September episode, in which Fox lashed out at journalist Ava Evans, saying “no self-respecting man would sleep with her,” narrowly escaped the charges. Bridgerton Star Adjoah Andoh’s comments during the coronation of King Charles III took it to the top spot on the regulator’s annual list.
Fox was sacked after the GB News tirade, which made national headlines and attracted a total of 8,867 complaints, some 200 ahead of Andoh.
Ofcom launched an investigation almost immediately due to the seriousness of the breach and it is one of dozens of GB News programs that have been or are being investigated by the regulator this year, five of which have already been found to be in breach. Fox, who appeared regularly on GB News and also hosted a show on the network, was arrested in London the same week on suspicion of conspiring to damage an Ulez camera.
Meanwhile, Andoh said, “We have left behind the rich diversity of the world.” [Westminster] Abbey to a terrible white balcony” during ITV’s live coronation broadcast, with viewers complaining that the comment was offensive and amounted to racial discrimination. With freedom of expression in mind, Ofcom did not investigate, but the incident still sparked thousands of complaints.
Ofcom said it received twice as many complaints in 2023 as in 2022, with 69,236 cases out of 9,638, with breaches found across 35 schemes.
Elsewhere on the list Good morning Britain on ITV came in third with 2,391 complaints about the questioning of MP Layla Moran, who has family in Gaza, about Israel-Hamas. According to Ofcom, one in ten complaints related to coverage of the war, which has been ongoing for more than two months.
love island, It is usually a major cause of complaint and ended up at number 10 on the list for an episode about bullying, during Channel 4 Naked education secured eighth place for “Nudity Before the Watershed.”
Last year’s list was dominated by complaints for and against Matt Hancock, who was recently on the list I am a celebrity. Get me out of here!
The full list:
- Dan Wootton Tonight, UK News, 26 September 2023 – 8,867 complaints – Viewers protested Laurence Fox’s misogynistic comments about journalist Ava Evans. Ofcom’s investigation into this program as part of our breaches of the rules is ongoing.
- King Charles III: The Coronation, ITV1, 6 May 2023 – 8,421 complaints – Most of the complaints related to a comment that actress Adjoa Andoh made during the live broadcast about the royal family’s appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. While we understand that some viewers may have had strong feelings about this comment after careful consideration, we have concluded that the comment was a personal observation that was part of an extended panel discussion that also included other diversity topics and a Series views included. Our decision not to pursue these complaints also took into account the right to freedom of expression.
- Good Morning Britain, ITV1, 17 October 2023 – 2,391 complaints – We have carefully reviewed the complaints about the moderator’s questioning of MP Layla Moran. We found his live, unscripted comments potentially offensive. However, considering the entire interview and particularly a preliminary discussion of Hamas’s use of civilians as human shields, we explored the question of whether civilians were aware of a possible escalation of hostilities, rather than suggesting that Ms. Moran or her family were aware of the specific plans for the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. In her response, Ms. Moran expressed surprise at the scale and complexity of the attack. With that in mind we will not go any further.
- Jeremy Vine, Channel 5, 13 March 2023 – 2,302 complaints – We have carefully considered viewers’ complaints about a conversation about the junior doctors’ salary dispute. While we acknowledge that some information about advancement deadlines and associated salary levels was not entirely accurate, we do not believe that the errors were sufficient to materially mislead or harm viewers.
- Breakfast with Kay Burley, Sky News, 23 November 2023 – 1,880 complaints – We carefully investigated the complaints about the questioning of the moderator during an interview with the Israeli speaker Eylon Levy. Given Mr. Levy’s strong challenge to the premise of the question of the value of Israeli and Palestinian lives and the context of the broader discussion about the terms of the temporary ceasefire, we will not elaborate further.
- Lee Anderson’s Real World, UK News, 29 September 2023 – 1,697 complaints – Complaints surrounding Lee Anderson’s interview with Suella Braverman on the grounds that they were both Conservative MPs. We published our assessment of this program and concluded that it covered a fairly wide range of key views on immigration and border control that received adequate attention.
- Breakfast with Kay Burley, Sky News, 10 October 2023 – 1,640 complaints – The complainants claimed Kay Burley misinterpreted the Palestinian ambassador’s comments. We review complaints before deciding whether or not to investigate.
- Naked Education, Channel 4, 4 April 2023 – 1,285 complaints – We understand that some viewers were concerned that this program contained pre-watershed nudity. In our opinion, the program had a clear educational focus and the young participants felt their involvement was positive. We also took into account that the public was warned before the broadcast of the program. Channel 4 has also informed Ofcom of the safeguards it has in place for the welfare and dignity of participants under the age of 18.
- This Morning, ITV, 18 December 2023, 1,092 complaints – Complaints related to Vanessa Feltz’s comments about celiac disease. We evaluate the complaints before deciding whether or not to investigate.
- Love Island, ITV2, 9 July 2023 – 992 complaints – Most of the complaints about this episode were about bullying against Scott. We’ve scrutinized complaints about this series on a variety of topics, including alleged bullying, homophobia and racism. We recognize that emotionally charged or confrontational scenes may upset some viewers. But in our opinion, the negative behavior in the villa was not portrayed in a positive light. We also took into account that the format of this reality show is well established and viewers expect ups and downs as couples’ relationships are tested. Viewers also complained that a contestant was voted off and brought back on the show, but that was an editorial decision by the network.
Source: Deadline
Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
