Ofcom’s 2025 complaints list is out, and Love Island has basically won the nation’s “email Ofcom” Olympics
- Ofcom has dropped its official “most complained-about TV shows of 2025” breakdown, and Love Island is sitting at the top like it paid rent.
- The biggest spike came from late-July episodes, with complaints centred on alleged bullying behaviour toward contestant Shakira Khan.
- Love Island: All Stars also makes the top ten, because even spin-offs can’t resist a little chaos as a treat.
- Celebrity Big Brother and the Brit Awards appear in the list too, proving Britain can multitask: outrage, glamour, and a strongly worded message.
- This is trending again because the list is fresh, shareable, and perfectly engineered for group chats that run on “did you SEE this”.
What Ofcom just published, and why it’s suddenly everywhere again
The official 2025 “most complained-about” list has landed
Ofcom has published its official breakdown of the most complained-about programmes of 2025, and it’s a neat snapshot of what made viewers reach for the complaint form with purpose. The headline is blunt: Love Island dominates the top of the list, and not by a polite margin.
The timing is the rocket fuel here. A regulator publishing a ranked outrage list is basically the internet’s equivalent of ringing a bell and shouting “everyone look at this”.
Why this is trending right now in the UK
It’s the perfect storm of reality TV, celebrity names, and a scoreboard format that begs to be screenshotted. You don’t even need to have watched the shows to have a strong opinion, which is the UK’s most reliable national resource.
Also, December is peak “TV recap season”. People are home, scrolling, and ready to relive the year’s biggest cultural flare-ups like it’s a festive tradition.
The Love Island episodes that triggered the biggest complaint spikes
The top entry: 24 July 2025, with 3,547 complaints
Ofcom’s number one spot is Love Island on ITV2, broadcast on 24 July 2025, which drew 3,547 complaints. The complaints related to alleged bullying behaviour towards contestant Shakira Khan.
That’s an eye-watering figure for a single episode. It also explains why this story travels fast: big numbers make people feel like they’re joining a crowd, even if the crowd is yelling.
22 and 23 July 2025 follow closely behind
The list doesn’t just mention one night. Love Island episodes on 22 July 2025 and 23 July 2025 also pulled thousands of complaints, again focused mainly on alleged bullying behaviour towards Shakira, with some complaints also referencing the return of another contestant.
When multiple consecutive episodes hit those levels, the narrative writes itself. Viewers start talking about patterns rather than moments, and that’s when a TV storyline becomes a national conversation.
What Ofcom’s wording tells you
Ofcom’s published breakdown keeps the descriptions short and factual, sticking to what complainants raised. That restraint is deliberate, because Ofcom is documenting what people complained about, not handing out a group chat verdict.
Online, though, restraint lasts about six seconds. The second those lines get shared, they turn into hot takes, threads, and the inevitable “I stopped watching years ago but…” speeches.
Reality TV and the UK’s complicated relationship with “it’s just a show”
Reality TV attracts scrutiny because it’s designed to
Ofcom notes that reality TV makes up more than half of the ten most complained-about programmes, and that around three in ten complaints were about Love Island. In other words, one show accounted for a chunky slice of the year’s viewer fury.
Reality TV works because it creates emotion, and emotion creates engagement. The problem is that engagement doesn’t know the difference between “fun drama” and “this feels grim”.
The ethical line gets argued in public, every time
When viewers complain, they’re usually reacting to tone, power dynamics, or perceived harm. That’s why alleged bullying themes generate such strong responses, because audiences can tolerate mess, but they struggle with mess that looks like someone is being targeted.
Producers, meanwhile, will tell you they’re reflecting real human behaviour. Viewers will tell you that reflecting something doesn’t mean magnifying it under stadium lighting.
Love Island: All Stars makes the list too
Spin-off, same pressure cooker
Ofcom’s top ten includes Love Island: All Stars (ITV2, 12 February 2025), with complaints relating to alleged bullying behaviour between participants. The format change doesn’t remove the core ingredient, which is still “people in a villa, emotions on a trampoline”.
All Stars also comes with added baggage: the cast knows how the public reacts. That awareness can make situations feel more strategic, which can make viewers more suspicious, which can make complaints more likely.
Why this detail fuels the trend cycle
It broadens the conversation beyond one summer series. It becomes a “brand issue” discussion, and that’s the kind of framing that gets traction across UK media and socials.
Also, nothing travels like a spin-off that proves the main show wasn’t a one-off. The internet loves a sequel, especially if it comes with fresh arguments.
Celebrity Big Brother and the Brit Awards also feature
CBB appears with complaints about comments made to JoJo Siwa
Ofcom’s list includes Celebrity Big Brother (ITV2, 9 April 2025) with 1,008 complaints, relating to comments made by Mickey Rourke to JoJo Siwa. That’s the kind of headline that spreads quickly because it sits at the intersection of celebrity, conflict, and broadcast standards.
It also shows how quickly reality formats can become real-world news. One moment can leap from “TV incident” to “national debate” before the ad break finishes.
The Brit Awards entry is about performance and outfit complaints
The Brit Awards 2025 (ITV1, 1 March 2025) appears in the top ten with 938 complaints, linked to Sabrina Carpenter’s opening dance routine and Charli XCX’s outfit. Award shows are basically a glitter cannon aimed at public opinion, so complaints are part of the ecosystem.
Brits night is also when the UK remembers it has two modes: “this is iconic” and “won’t somebody think of the watershed”. Sometimes both happen in the same tweet.
What Ofcom’s broader numbers say about UK viewing habits
Nearly 50,000 complaints, and the BBC is a separate process
Ofcom says it received almost 50,000 complaints about more than 8,000 programmes across TV, radio, and on-demand in 2025. It also notes that the published figures don’t include complaints about BBC programmes, which are handled via the BBC’s own first-stage process under the Charter.
That detail matters because people assume Ofcom is the universal complaints mailbox. In practice, the UK complaint journey can be a bit like rail replacement buses: everyone ends up somewhere eventually, but not always the way they expected.
Why complaint counts become their own kind of entertainment
A ranked complaints list turns viewer reaction into a measurable story, and the internet loves measurement. It’s the same reason we love box office totals, chart positions, and “who unfollowed who”: numbers feel like proof.
The irony is that complaints can also amplify the thing people are complaining about. Outrage is a megaphone that occasionally forgets which direction it’s pointing.
Why this story has “keeps trending” energy for UK audiences
It’s got everything: reality TV, celebs, fashion, and a regulator
Love Island alone guarantees attention, because it’s a reliable UK engagement machine. Add Celebrity Big Brother and the Brit Awards, and you’ve got a wider celebrity net that catches music fans, fashion fans, and people who just enjoy a well-organised argument.
Ofcom’s involvement gives it authority, which makes it easier to share without someone replying “source?”. Everyone still replies “source?”, but now you can point to a regulator, which is basically the ultimate parental voice.
Expect the conversation to split into three predictable camps
Camp one: “Good, hold them accountable.” Camp two: “It’s reality TV, relax.” Camp three: “I don’t watch it but here’s my 900-word thesis anyway.”
The UK is nothing if not consistent. We may not agree, but we will absolutely show up on time to disagree.
References. A list of references and links used
- Ofcom: TV’s most complained-about shows of 2025 (official breakdown) :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
- The Guardian: Love Island is the UK’s most complained-about programme of 2025 :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
- Ofcom weekly audience complaints report (22–28 July 2025) :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
- The Guardian: Brit Awards 2025 in pictures (red carpet and stage) :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
- NME: Ofcom names most complained-about TV show of 2025 :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}