Good Morning Britain has reportedly received a warning from Ofcom after a ‘combative dynamic’ between presenters and Piers Morgan’s comments.
ITV is said to have been told off by the broadcasting watchdog, and warned that GMB could be in danger after the show sparked over 1,600 complaints during an episode.
Piers, 54, was accused of ‘mocking’ the Chinese language during a January episode.
The complaints came flooding in when Piers and co-star Susanna Reid were talking about the Queen’s grandson Peter Phillips appearing in a television ad for state milk in China.
Piers moaned: “Oh Peter, for god’s sake man!”
(Image: ITV)
He then made some controversial comments which caused the influx of complaints.
Piers said: “At the next royal event, can you imagine Christmas at Sandringham is like – ‘I’m sorry your majesty, but I only drink yang yank yong ying ming milk.”
His co-host Susanna put her head in her hands and sighed: “Oh Piers.”
After receiving complaints on Twitter, Piers defended himself saying: “I was mocking a member of the British Royal family appearing in an advert for Chinese state milk, not Chinese people.”
Over a month after the episode, ITV released a statement on the live television incident.
Piers was criticised and accused of ‘mocking the Chinese advert’ (Image: ITV)
They claimed the comments were “not intended to mock or denigrate Chinese people, their language or accent” but “were intended to mock a member of the Royal Family.”
Ofcom has now revealed they have decided not to pursue a full investigation.
They said: “Having carefully considered the context within which the comments were broadcast and the action taken by ITV, including discussing these complaints with Piers Morgan and making a public apology, Ofcom concluded overall that this programme did not warrant further investigation under Rule 2.3 of the Code.”
Ofcom decided not to pursue a full investigation. (Image: Getty Images for BAFTA LA)
They also said in their report: “We remind ITV that there are compliance risks in relying on a ‘combative dynamic’ between presenters as a way to provide challenge and context for the broadcast of content which may cause offence.
“This approach can provide significant context, as in this case However, depending on the particular circumstances, this may not always provide sufficient context to comply with the Code.”
Good Morning Britain continues tomorrow at 6am on ITV
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
