Reality television once again emerged as the biggest lightning rod for viewer outrage in the United Kingdom in 2025, according to the latest data released by Ofcom, the country’s communications regulator. The regulator said it received close to 50,000 complaints over the year relating to more than 8,000 television, radio and on-demand programmes, underlining how closely audiences continue to scrutinise broadcast content.

In its annual breakdown, Ofcom noted that the figures, published on December 18, exclude complaints about BBC programmes, which are handled separately under the BBC’s “first process” as set out in its Royal Charter. The data reflects complaints assessed directly by Ofcom, which is responsible for enforcing broadcasting standards across UK television, radio and on-demand services.

While overall complaints fell compared with 2024, Ofcom said the level of investigations opened and closed was broadly in line with 2021. Certain genres continued to draw disproportionate attention, with reality TV standing out sharply. More than half of the ten most complained-about programmes of the year belonged to the genre, reinforcing its reputation for provoking strong audience reactions.

ITV2’s ‘Love Island’ dominated the list by a wide margin. Episodes from the 2025 series accounted for around three in ten complaints received by Ofcom during the year, with a cumulative total of 14,121 complaints. The single most complained-about programme was the July 24 episode of ‘Love Island’, which drew 3,547 complaints, largely linked to allegations of bullying behaviour towards contestant Shakira. Episodes aired on July 22 and July 23 followed closely, attracting 2,509 and 2,002 complaints respectively over similar concerns.

Outside ‘Love Island’, Channel 5’s ‘Vanessa’, aired on June 10, ranked fourth with 1,866 complaints. Viewers objected to a discussion on breastfeeding and its benefits, which some felt was misleading. GB News’ ‘Headliners’, broadcast on January 22, was fifth with 1,391 complaints, after a presenter’s comment was perceived to link the LGBTQ+ community with paedophiles. Ofcom’s investigation concluded that the live programme breached broadcasting rules by including a highly offensive remark that was not justified by context and fell short of generally accepted standards.

Other programmes on the list included Sky News’ ‘Today with Samantha Washington’, which drew complaints over coverage of a ‘Gaza aid vessel’, and further episodes of ‘Love Island’ and ‘Love Island: All Stars’ over alleged bullying between participants. ITV2’s ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ also featured, with complaints centred on comments made by actor Mickey Rourke to JoJo Siwa, while ITV1’s broadcast of The Brit Awards 2025 rounded out the top ten following objections to Sabrina Carpenter’s opening dance routine and Charli XCX’s outfit.

Beyond the complaints tally, Ofcom highlighted key regulatory developments during the year. It issued updated guidance on politicians presenting news, following a public consultation, and ruled that a BBC documentary on Gaza breached the Broadcasting Code, directing the broadcaster to air a statement of findings. The regulator also clarified its approach to older films and programmes shown on television.

Looking ahead, Ofcom said it has begun a broader review of broadcast regulation to ensure audiences are protected regardless of how they consume content. A consultation on a new video-on-demand code is expected next year, which could extend broadcast-style rules to some on-demand services and introduce fresh accessibility requirements such as subtitling.

The 2025 complaints data offers a revealing snapshot of the programmes that most challenged audience sensibilities over the past year, with reality TV once again at the centre of the debate about taste, standards and responsibility on British television.