Ofcom revealed that the episode of Good Morning Britain in which Piers Morgan claimed he didn’t believe Meghan Markle about her mental state was the most-respected TV program of 2021.
After commenting on Oprah Winfrey’s explosive interview with the Duchess, Morgan got into a heated argument with Alex Beresford in the March ITV broadcast.
Today, the media regulator disclosed that Mr Morgan was forced to leave ITV’s programme. He received 54,595 complaints.
Harry and Meghan’s interview in which Winfrey was interviewed was broadcast also on ITV, after it was first broadcast in the US. It received a total 6,486 complaints.
According to the program, the Sussexes initially accused the royals family of not supporting their children.
Morgan said that he didn’t believe Oprah’s Meghan’s claims and challenged Oprah’s assertions of racism and suicidal thoughts.
He was later cleared by Ofcom of breaching broadcasting rules after the Duchess of Sussex was among a wave of people who complained that his questioning of her claims was ‘harmful’ and ‘offensive’ to viewers.
Later, Britain’s broadcasting watchdog called attempts at silence of the MailOnline columnist “chilling restrictions on freedom to expression.”
Ofcom has disclosed that Piers Morgan’s claim not to believe Meghan Markle’s mental health claims was one of the most controversial episodes of Good Morning Britain.
Harry and Meghan’s interview with Winfrey was broadcast by ITV. This was after the first American airing. There were a total 6,486 complaints.
It was overall a record-breaking year for complaints with over 150,000 being reported to Ofcom. This is an increase of 124% over last year.
This total does not include any complaints regarding the BBC which are dealt with by the corporation first.
ITV’s Love Island came in second thanks to an episode in August in which Faye Winter, a contestant, delivered a long, expletive-laden tirade towards Teddy Soares. This prompted 24,921 complaints.
Following the play of a clip showing Soares telling Clarisse, a contestant on Islanders, that he was attracted, the pair got into an argument.
Third place went to Celebrities: What happened To Your Face, Channel 5. This programme examined plastic surgery in celebrity culture. There were 7,125 complaints about comments made by viewers commenting on the stars’ appearances.
Love Island featured the fifth most-complained about episode of the year.
Ofcom received 4,337 complaints after a postcard arrived from Casa Amor, a rival villa to the ITV program.
The postcard featured male contestants in difficult circumstances and new girls. Many were already married.
Adam Baxter from Ofcom, the director of standards, and audience protection said that: “Interestingly, it is a relatively few TV shows driving lion’s shares; the top five most complained about programmes account to 80%.
“Social media, a digital space for contemporary water-cooler discussions, also influences complaints figures.
“But these volumes are for me a demonstration of the British public’s enthusiasm for television and radio programmes and shows how vital they are for the cultural fabric in our country.”
Morgan stated that he did not believe Oprah was telling Meghan the truth. He also challenged Meghan’s assertions of racism in royals and suicidal thoughts.
Baxter stated that high numbers of complaints does not mean there are no rules.
He stated that ‘The judgements we make every day are often well-balanced – like our most high profile case this year, Piers Morgan’s remarks on Good Morning Britain following the interview of Oprah Winfrey with the Duke and Duchess Of Sussex.
“But, because of the important of freedom of speech, we don’t intervene or take any action against broadcasters unless we feel it is necessary.”
This year, Ofcom concluded 33 investigations. It also recorded 20 violations. Many of the breaches were related to hate speech and coronavirus misinformation.
Morgan left GMB just 48 hours after the Oprah interview, March 7, this year. He refused to apologize for his ‘honestly held beliefs’.
ITV was hit with a loss of 790,000.00 viewers, as well as millions in advertising revenue. ITV also lost viewers who switched to BBC Breakfast.
Others complained to Ofcom that Piers was not ‘duly objective’, a’misrepresenting fact’ and mocking Meghan’s American accent.
ITV’s Love Island was second due to an August episode. Faye Winter (left), a contestant on the show, made a long expletive-laden tirade towards Teddy Soares. It prompted 24,921 complaints.
Celebrities. What Happened to Your Face, Channel 5 came in third. This program examined the role of plastic surgery in celebrity culture. 7,125 complaints were made about the comments that were made on the stars’ appearances in the program.
Love Island’s fifth-most complained about episode was also broadcast. Ofcom received 4,337 complaints about the arrival of a postcard sent by Casa Amor, a rival villa to Love Island’s main villa.
His views on GMB, March 8, and 9, were also dismissed as unsuitable.
Ofcom determined that there were no violations of rules and supported Mr Morgan’s right to challenge the Duchess’s claim of having suffered suicidal thoughts as well as claims she was subjected to racism by the Royal Family.
Ofcom 56 ruled in favor of the MailOnline columnist: “Mr Morgan was allowed to state that he doubted the claims made by the Duke and duchess of Sussex and to have strong views and opinions that vigorously challenge their account.”
The watchdog also indicted his ex-managers as well as the more than 50,000 people who had complained.