Aura Print has found that over the past five years, Good Morning Britain has racked up nearly 92,000 Ofcom complaints, making it the most complained-about show in the UK.
Reality favourites like Love Island and outspoken presenters such as Julia Hartley-Brewer and Dan Wootton aren’t far behind, whilst royal-related shows such as Harry and Meghan’s Oprah appearance and the King’s Coronation sparked nearly 15,000 complaints in total.
Key findings:
- Piers Morgan comments on Meghan Markle had the most complaints for a single broadcast: 57,973
- Piers Morgan, Julia Hartley-Brewer and Dan Wootton are amongst the most complained about TV presenters in the UK
- MAFS UK generated under 2,000 complaints, showing Love Island especially riles viewers
- Royal coverage triggers complaints: King Charles Coronation (8,000 complaints) Oprah with Meghan & Harry (6,500)
- Emmerdale takes the lead as the British soap with the most complains
- ITV is the station with the most complaints with over 210,000, followed by TalkTV with over 20,000 and GBNews with over 17,000
So, which TV shows are the most complained about of the past 5 years?
Please find the full data set of all Ofcom complaints 2021-2025, here.
Good Morning Britain has racked up nearly 92,000 Ofcom complaints, making it the most complained-about show in the UK.
2021 and 2024 stand out as the years with the highest number of complaints. The single most complained-about episode was on 8 March 2021, with 57,973 complaints, coinciding with the infamous Piers Morgan episode discussing Meghan Markle’s mental health.
Aura Print’s research found that Good Morning Britain sees occasional explosive spikes linked to high-profile controversies, but day-to-day episodes generate around 50–300 complaints each.
Reality favourites like Love Island follow with over 66,000 complaints, proving that when drama hits the screen, Brits love to dial in. Key moments such as explosive rows, Casa Amor, movie nights, and provocative content generate the bulk of complaints for this show.
In comparison, Married at First Sight UK has generated less than 2k complaints in its run, showing that Love Island especially riles up Brits.
Second to Piers Morgan, Julia Hartley-Brewer is one of the most complained-about presenters, racking up 18,500 complaints, more than double the 9,207 complaints against GB News’ Dan Wootton.
Some shows have sent viewers dialing like never before, particularly when the royals are involved. Coverage of King Charles III’s coronation in May 2023 triggered more than 8,000 complaints, while Oprah with Meghan and Harry received almost 6.5k complaints.
Even fan-favourite entertainment shows aren’t safe. I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and Big Brother collectively pulled in over 10,000 complaints, with moments like bug-eating trials and live evictions sending viewers into a frenzy.
The most complained about episodes of TV in the past 5 years
Leading the charge is Good Morning Britain, whose 8 March 2021 broadcast racked up a staggering 57,973 complaints, the most for any single episode in recent history.
Ofcom has since reminded broadcasters to provide timely warnings or signposting for sensitive content, especially around topics such as mental health and suicide. Their statement included:
“Mr Morgan’s comments were potentially harmful and offensive to viewers, and we recognise the strong public reaction to them. But we also took full account of freedom of expression. Under our rules, broadcasters can include controversial opinions as part of legitimate debate in the public interest, and the strong challenge to Mr Morgan from other contributors provided important context for viewers.”
Love Island’s 6 August 2021 episode received 24,763 complaints after contestant Faye Winters outburst at her interest Teddy Soares. The outburst sparked widespread viewer complaints around whether the show did enough to step in.
The most complained about TV episode of 2024 was Julia Hartley-Brewer’s TalkTV show on 3 January 2024 provoked 15,536 complaints,
Dan Wootton Tonight racked up 8,846 complaints when Laurence Fox made derogatory remarks about Ava Evans following her appearance on the BBC’s Politics Live, calling her “pathetic and embarrassing” and questioning her appeal to men.