Good Morning Britain has been flooded with more Ofcom complaints after fans were left in tears.
ITV viewers lodged complaints after a veteran declared that victory in the conflict “wasn’t worth it”.
The interview was broadcast earlier this month (November 9), and it emerged last week that the ITV programme, presented by Kate Garraway and Adil Ray, had triggered 452 complaints to the broadcasting regulator over their handling of the discussion.
Ofcom has now confirmed that the programme has received a further 90 complaints since then. Viewers accused the presenters of being “disrespectful” towards their guest, 100-year-old Second World War veteran Alec Penstone.
During his appearance ahead of Remembrance Sunday, Alec expressed his view that winning the war hadn’t been worthwhile, reports the Mirror.
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Veteran Alec Penstone appeared on GMB earlier this month(Image: ITV)
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He said: “My message is, I can see in my mind’s eye those rows and rows of white stones and all the hundreds of my friends who gave their lives, for what?
“The country of today? No, I’m sorry – but the sacrifice wasn’t worth the result of what it is now. What we fought for was our freedom, but now it’s a darn sight worse than when I fought for it.”
Adil then asked: “What do you mean by that, though?” However, Alec didn’t seem to notice the question as he carried on speaking.
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Kate then interjected saying: “Alec, I’m sorry you feel like that and I want you to know that all the generations that have come since, including me and my children, are so grateful for your bravery and all the other service personnel.
“It’s our job now to make it the country that you fought for, and we will do.”
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The interview has sparked hundreds of Ofcom complaints(Image: ITV)
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He responded: “It’s so wonderful to know there are people like you who spread the word around to the younger generations.”
The interaction sparked a flurry of comments on social media, with viewers of the morning programme criticising the presenters.
A clip of the conversation, shared on Good Morning Britain’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, garnered over 4,000 comments. One viewer questioned Adil’s remark, stating: “‘What do you mean by that, though?’ What a punk. You know what he means. So do we.”
Another viewer commented: “If I owned your TV show, I would fire both of you, he’s there to say what he thinks because he earned it, not to be wheeled out to produce some generic soundbite for improving your OFCOM rating.”
A third added: “What do you mean by that though? What a ridiculous question to ask a 100-year-old veteran.. Go look back over a 100 years you numpty… Trying to goad a 100-year-old man.”
