Britain’s most controversial TV moments of 2025, revealed by Ofcom
New data from the Office of Communications (Ofcom) was compiled from weekly reports to reveal which shows sparked the most viewer complaints.
A new study from media agency, One Day Agency , has determined the television shows that have generated the most audience complaints of the year so far.
Love Island is the most complained about television show of the year so far. Love Island has generated an astounding 15,929 complaints between January-September 2025. The highest volume of complaints arose on 24 July, with 3,547 complaints due to bullying against Shakira Khan. Other complaints arose after contestant Dejon Noel-Williams’s behaviour toward Megan Moore was seen as gaslighting and made viewers uncomfortable.
Vanessa, a tabloid talk show hosted by Vanessa Feltz, premiered in March 2025 and features celebrity guests. Although Vanessa had reported complaints on only two dates this year, the TV show has the second highest number of complaints at 1,986. On 10 June, Ofcom received 1,856 complaints and 130 complaints three days later. The complaints are due to the show's segment on breastfeeding and its benefits, which some viewers found misleading.
Good Morning Britain generated the third highest number of complaints, 1,643. On 11 September the show received 354 complaints, followed by the second highest number of complaints (318) on 19 June. On 11 September, Nels Abbey made controversial comments about Charlie Kirk and his assassination.
BigBrother, which aired 28 September, has already amassed 1,411 complaints. The 7 October episode received 398 complaints and the live eviction episode on 10 October received 261 complaints. The majority of the complaints were due to Caroline Monk misgendering Zelah Glasson. On 28 October, the show received 345 complaints that all stem from Caroline's behaviour towards Richard.
Celebrity Big Brother generated 1,409 complaints during its 24th series. On 9 April the show generated the highest number of complaints, with an astounding 1,010. The episode included a controversial interaction between housemates JoJo Siwa and Mickey Rourke, during which Rourke used offensive language directed at Siwa.
Headliners had 1,347 reported complaints this year. All the complaints were generated from 22 January when presenter Josh Howie used a slur towards the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to the 1,347 complaints that Ofcom recorded, the Good Law Project also provided 71,851 complaints to Ofcom.
Today with Samantha Washington has generated 1,270 complaints this year so far. The complaints all came from a single day, 7 June, when viewers objected to a presenter’s comments about the Madleen vessel, which was attempting to deliver aid to Gaza.
Britain’s Got Talent’s highest number of complaints (771) came from an episode that aired on 22 February due to a horror-themed performance. The show has garnered 1,118 complaints thus far.
The Brit Awards 2025, which aired on 1 March, ranks ninth with 929 complaints. This Morning follows with 713 complaints, with all of the complaints coming from the 27 August episode. The majority of the complaints were about Sabrina Carpenter’s performance.
ThisMorningrounds out the top ten most complained about shows this year with 713 complaints. This Morning's complaints stemmed from the 27 August episode, where Rylan Clark made comments about illegal immigration.
Alexandra Gonçalves, Paid Media Manager for One Day Agency, commented on the findings:
"Viewer complaints reveal what really captures public attention. When audiences take the time to reach out to Ofcom, it shows that they care deeply about what they are watching.
"People do not complain about shows they feel indifferent toward. They complain because the content has struck a nerve or touched on something they feel strongly about. In many ways, complaints are a reflection of how emotionally engaged the audience is. Controversy does not just create headlines, it creates conversation and that is often a sign of cultural relevance."