YOU would think that the first TV show people would want to watch in the morning would be a lovely, upbeat, calming one.
But Good Morning Britain has proved that’s not true – as it’s become the most complained about TV show.
Good Morning Britain beat Love Island to become the most complained about show
Matt Hancock’s interview led to 103 Ofcom complaints for GMB
According to new data released by TECC, the ITV show has sparked over 75,623 Ofcom complaints in the last two years, even beating raunchy Love Island to the top spot.
Love Island came in second place with 42,944 complaints, while Britain’s Got Talent came in third, with over 29,000 complaints.
Meanwhile, Coronation Street was the most complained about TV soap.
We look at some of the most complained about moments in recent years – from backlash to Katie Price’s appearance to Matt Hancock’s “car crash” interview.
Matt Hancock interview
Good Morning Britain was hit with 103 complaints from viewers who were furious with Matt Hancock because of his “car crash” interview in January.
The former Health Secretary was questioned about his controversial appearance on I’m a Celebrity jungle and his £320,000 fee.
He insisted he did not go into the jungle “primarily” for the money, saying he had given a “decent sum”, £10,000, to charity.
Susanna responded: “Couldn’t they have benefitted from more of your fee rather than £10,000 out of a quarter of a million?”
She then questioned whether his intention was to get into showbiz.
Susanna said: “Would you like to sit in Richard’s chair? Would you like to be in the Piers Morgan ‘mincer’ as you call it?”
Matt only laughed in response, and she added: “Well that wasn’t a no. Do you want to be a host of Good Morning Britain is that what this is about?”.
The politician was also confronted by Kate Garraway – who was unable to visit her sick husband Derek Draper in hospital during the pandemic – about his decision to appear on I’m a Celebrity.
Kate said: “I suppose the problem is that because you were health secretary and because at that time I could not visit Derek in hospital, he could not see his kids.
“Thousands of others could not go and see the people they loved for various reasons, because they were following the guidelines and it was all very muddled for us at that point.
Ed Balls swearing
Good Morning Britain’s Ed Balls was forced to apologise after swearing live on air
GOOD Morning Britain anchor Ed Balls was forced to apologise on air earlier this month, after swearing.
The former Labour MP, 56, who is fronting the show with Susanna Reid, 52, shocked fans with his blooper.
It came during a chat about Danny Dyer, when Ed told how Danny had used the “T-word.”
He said: “Are we allowed to say that this early?” to which Susanna quickly fired back: “No we can’t! It’s on the Ofcom list.”
Not letting it lie, fan-favourite presenter Ed asked his Good Morning Britain co-host: “So you can’t say t**t then?
Susanna, clearly taken aback, asked the former Shadow Chancellor: “You do know we are on air don’t you?”
Ed replied: “I apologise, then. I didn’t mean to say that. I am sorry I didn’t know.”
“It gives the impression that you still do not get why they are cross.”
‘It’s very Vicky Pollard’
Richard received around 150 Ofcom complaints after his row with Just Stop Oil protester Miranda Whelehan
Richard kicked off the discussion by telling Miranda she had zero support from viewers after her group blocked petrol supplies.
Miranda struggled not to cry after Richard compared the Extinction Rebellion representative to Little Britain’s Vicky Pollard and accused her of being a hypocrite for wearing clothes.
“It’s a very complicated thing and this ‘just stop oil’ slogan is very playground-ish, it’s very Vicky Pollard, it’s quite childish,” he said.
“‘Just stop oil’, I mean there’s more to say than that isn’t there?”
Miranda was shocked by his remark, and replied: “I would say that the answers are actually very simple. We need to stop new oil licensing and that’s what we’re asking.
“With the oil reserves that we have now and the oil fields that we have that are still going, that would provide us with eight years of oil, if we said no to new oil and that’s what we’re asking for.”
Richard continued to hammer her with questions, saying: “You talk about democracy but let’s talk about hypocrisy.
“The clothes that you’re wearing to some extent owe their existence to oil. There are so many ways oil impacts on your life as a protestor but you don’t acknowledge that.”
Miranda replied: “We’re talking about crop failure by 2030, we’re talking about people in this country in fuel poverty because of the price of oil and you’re talking about what I’m wearing.”
‘Katie Price shouldn’t be on TV!’
Katie Price’s interview on GMB angered viewers
Fifty-three people complained about an interview with Katie Price on GMB in January 2022, with many arguing she “shouldn’t be on” TV.
Talking of her court appearance following a drink-drive car crash in 2021, she insisted “people shouldn’t judge her” for rolling her car in a booze and cocaine-fuelled crash – and then escaping jail.
She told viewers she felt “ashamed” about her actions, but isn’t ready to talk about the “traumatic events” that made her get behind the wheel.
Admitting she was lucky to dodge spending Christmas behind bars, Katie said: “Things could have been different.
“The events leading up to it were really traumatic and it’s still been traumatic afterwards, so I’m not ready to talk about it yet.
“What I can say is I went to The Priory and I’ve made the decision finally to see a therapist every week, and will do forever, to deal with the traumatic events that led me up to that car.
“I’m very good at hiding things. When I’m ready to talk about it I will because there are reasons why I got in the car and why I was in that mental state.
“I feel ashamed about it all. It was a traumatic build up to it. The reasons I’m still dealing with now. It’s a new year, but I’m still dealing with it all.”
Junior doctor silenced
Junior doctor Dr Vivek Trivedi was silenced when he appeared on GMB
Back in December, Dr Vivek Trivedi, the BMA junior doctors committee co-chair, appeared on GMB, discussing how poor pay and working conditions are forcing doctors to leave the profession.
But, just as he began talking, the sound was suddenly interrupted with music, silencing him and presenters Charlotte Hawkins and Adil Ray.
And viewers weren’t happy, wanting to hear what he had to say.
One said: “”So when the junior doctor on #GMB starts talking facts and talking about junior doctor realities they silence him and play the PlayStation loading music?! @GMB conveniently comes back to normal when world cup is being discussed.”
Many wanted the show to repeat the interview.
One said: “Any chance of repeating the interview with the Doctor, so we can hear it? And not some meditation music.”
Climate activists compared to paedophiles
Earlier this week, Richard Madeley came under fire for comparing climate activists to paedophiles.
The presenters had been discussing the recent pledge by a group of around 120 lawyers who are refusing to prosecute peaceful climate protestors or act for companies pursuing fossil fuel projects.
He introduced the segment, an hour before it was due to air, controversially asking the barristers who had signed the “declaration of conscience” if they were “still happy to defend paedophiles”.
He said: “If these people, these barristers and lawyers, have announced they will not prosecute – they simply won’t even get started in a court of law – someone who has glued themselves to the road as part of a Just Stop Oil protest, are they still happy to defend, say, a paedophile?”
While later discussing the pledge on GMB, which saw two lawyers on opposite sides of the argument debate, Richard compared activists to paedophiles again.
He said: “If you refuse to prosecute someone, as you are doing, because you agree with their political principles or ecological principles.
“Would you therefore defend someone the next day you knew had committed a serious paedophile act? Would you defend them?”
Shocked viewers took to Twitter to complain, with one saying: ”‘Richard Madeley on GMB TV – never afraid to ask the most stupid questions.”
Another added: “It’s so cringe-inducing when intelligent people from other countries agree to appear on #gmb and then get asked questions by Richard Madeley. I feel so embarrassed for all involved.”
Covid ‘hoax’
Dr Hilary Jones’ warning about a Covid ‘hoax’ caused 1.500 complaints
Ofcom received over 1,500 complaints in November 2021, after a debate about leaflets that Dr Hilary Jones called a Covid “hoax”.
The TV medic voiced his thoughts to ITV viewers as he warned against yellow leaflets: “Just be aware of bogus letter drops which are complete nonsense.
“This is misinformation… It looks like a Government UK yellow card reporting scheme for adverse reactions to any sort of medicines or vaccines, but this purports to talk about all sorts of reactions to the vaccines which are bogus and hoax.”
Richard interrupted: “So it’s an anti-vaccine…”
“Yes, absolutely,” replied Dr Hilary. “And this would put a lot of people off the vaccine, dangerously, because it’s complete misinformation.”
Madeley took a closer look and said: “So if you get it…” before ripping up the leaflet and moulding it into a ball.
The panel then went on to laugh about Dr Hilary being given a pen which dispenses hand sanitiser.
Boris Johnson interview
Susanna Reid asked Boris Johnson if he was honest repeatedly
GMB was hit with 87 Ofcom complaints about former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s first interview with the show in five years, last May.
Susanna Reid and Boris locked horns, as she grilled him, at one point controversially asking him if he is “honest”.
“Before we get back into talking about Ukraine, so many people want to know, are you honest, Prime Minister?” Susanna began.
Stumbling over his words as he tried to answer, Boris replied: “I think you – yes – I think that the best way to judge that is to look at what this government says it’s going to do and what it does.”
“I just want a straight answer – you’re an honest speaker?” Susanna quipped back again, as Boris continued: “Yes.
“I do my best to represent faithfully and accurately what I believe, and sometimes it’s controversial and sometimes it offends people, but that’s what I do.”
Sue Gray’s report on Partygate has since found Boris did, in fact, lie.
Shamima Begum interview
Shamima Begum’s GMB interview sparked 273 complaints
Shamima Begum’s interview with GMB, in 2021, sparked 273 complaints to Ofcom.
The ISIS bride spoke live from a refugee camp, asking for forgiveness, and suggested a country should not banish someone for a mistake they made when they were 15.
Viewers weren’t happy with the fact she’d been given airtime.
One took to Twitter to write: “#GMB sick idea for breakfast show having #ShamimaBegum on, no respect for the dead and wounded let her rot.”
Another said: “I feel @richardm56 is doing well in this interview @GMB Totally wrong to allow her airtime, I think I can see it in his face ! Please don’t feel sorry for her @susannareid100 I can’t watch anymore it’s making me feel angry.”
Former GMB host Piers Morgan also hit out at the show for giving the “ISIS bride monster” a right to free speech when it was denied to him.
Patsy Palmer ‘addict’ row
Patsy Palmer abruptly ended her interview when she was called an “addict”
More than 100 viewers complained to Ofcom when actress Patsy Palmer was labelled an “addict,” prompting her to end the interview abruptly.
Former EastEnders star Patsy was on the show to talk about her wellness brand Good & Proper, but was shocked when she saw the tagline at the bottom of the screen, reading: “Addict to wellness guru”.
She told hosts Ben Shephard and Susanna: “You know what actually, I do not want to do this interview because I don’t even want to look at what it says at the bottom of the screen.
“So I’m just going to switch off, do a real Piers Morgan, and just say it’s not OK to have ‘Addict to wellness guru’ on the bottom of the screen.
“My issues that I had years ago, that were talked about by me, many, many years ago, and it’s over.
“So I’m not going to talk to you,” she added before closing her laptop.
Ben and Susanna apologised for any offence caused.
Ben said: “Huge apologies it was not our intention to upset you.
“That’s obviously a quote from Patsy’s book and she’s talked about it in the past.
“It certainly wasn’t our intention to upset Patsy, we were keen to talk to her.”
Thomas Markle interview
GMB viewers weren’t happy Thomas Markle was on the show
Ofcom received 55 complaints from GMB viewers in October 2021, angry that Meghan Markle‘s father Thomas Markle was on the show.
In the show, Thomas launched a blistering attack at Meghan and her refusal to speak to him.
Long before Spare was actually released, Thomas branded Prince Harry’s tell-all book “shameful”.
He added: “I think Harry has abandoned the Queen, the royal family, the British people and the Army. He’s abandoned them all.”
Thomas further claimed he was being “ghosted” by his daughter – and insisted he would continue to make TV appearances, speaking about Meghan until she spoke to him.
He explained: “I’ve made it quite clear until I hear from her until she does speak to me that I’ll continue to do this.
“I will do a show for at least a month if I can get it through and eventually sooner or later she should start talking to me – this is way too childish. This is kind of silly. It’s time to talk with each other. We’re family.”
