I'm A Celeb bullying row as viewers complain to Ofcom over Sam Thompson and Fred Sirieix
Topics: Im A Celebrity, TV And Film, Sam Thompson
Jess Hardiman
Featured Image Credit: ITV
Topics: Im A Celebrity, TV And Film, Sam Thompson
I’m a Celeb is often subject to viewer complaints, usually revolving around the use of animals in various tasks.
However, this year there was one storyline in particular that drew backlash from fans, as they watched two campmates clash.
Sam Thompson was the celeb who came out victorious as King of the Jungle – an outcome many viewers were delighted to see.
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However, during his time in camp, some people became concerned about the dynamic between him and another contestant, after they noticed Fred Sirieix being ‘patronising’ towards the eventual winner.
One tweeted earlier this month: “Catching up on last night I'm a Celeb and I'm so upset that Fred told Sam to go and play with his toys. Send him on an ADHD course.”
Someone else said: “Omg, I’m behind on I’m a Celeb and currently watching last nights. Who the HELL does Fred think he is please?
"Telling Sam to play with his toys as well… so f**king patronising. Get him out.”
A third added: “Fred has not come out of I’m a Celeb well, he’s presented as being really arrogant & sulky when he doesn’t get his way, I can’t believe he told Sam to ‘go and play with his toys while the men do the task’ (paraphrasing). I imagine his management & pr are on damage control atm.”
But people weren’t just tweeting about it.
Regulator Ofcom confirmed in new weekly figures that it received 59 complaints about the episode, with 27 comments referring specifically to the clash.
“Complaints related to a variety of issues including 27 complaints about comments made by Fred to Sam,” Ofcom explained.
The regulator added that another I'm a Celeb episode on 6 December received 44 complaints, the majority of which ‘related to the treatment of animals’, while the final on 10 December garnered 60 complaints ‘related to a variety of issues’, including 31 specific complaints about the treatment of animals.
Tyla has reached out to ITV for comment.
In the end, Sam narrowly beat professional boxer Tony Bellew to the win, thanking viewers for their votes.
"I've never had that amount of people need to support me for anything and it's just such an amazing feeling, it’s actually quite overwhelming,” he told ITV’s Lorraine on Monday morning.
“I'm a very, very, very lucky person to have that around me so I can't wait. I owe a lot of people a lot of dinners."