Good Morning Britain has been hit with over 300 Ofcom complaints following Richard Madeley’s fiery rant on slavery.
TV watchdog Ofcom confirmed the ITV show received 334 complaints, which were related to Richard’s interview with the President of Guyana, and their discussion of repatriations.
During the show, which aired on September 20, Richard banged his hands on the table after the president argued that descendants of European slave traders should offer to pay reparations to right historical wrongs.
Richard stated: “Why should somebody who maybe had an ancestor seven or eight generations ago, long before they were a twinkle in their great-great-great grandparents’ eye, why should they have to pay now for what an ancient ancestor did?
“Or why should they apologise for what an ancestor did centuries ago? Why should they still carry that burden?”
Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali replied: “Oh, it’s not a burden at all – you are one of the beneficiaries of that slave trade.
“You should be concerned and you should pay because you, today, are still benefitting from the greatest indignity to a human being and that is the slave trade.”
Later on in the interview, the GMB host said: “One of the points you’ve been making today is about our Royal Family.
“And you feel that it’s not just about the finances involved here in terms of reparations for slavery.”
However, Richard was overcome with emotion which led him to bang his hands on the GMB desk.
“It’s about the gestures,” he fumed. “And you think that the British Royal Family should make a big gesture, don’t you? What do you mean? Hand over a palace to your country?”
“Well no, we don’t want the British to hand over a palace that we built,” the president replied.
The interview left viewers divided and while some agreed with Richard’s stance on the subject, others told the host he needed to “calm down”.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.
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