‘This Morning’ cleared by Ofcom over ‘Fifty Shades’-inspired ‘Bondage for Beginners’ feature

120 viewers complained after a sex expert joined Phillip Schofield to discuss bedroom toys

This Morning has been cleared by Ofcom after 120 viewers lodged complaints about a bondage-themed feature on the ITV daytime show.

During the February 3 episode of the morning magazine show, Phillip Schofield and co-host Christine Bleakley were joined by a sex expert for a segment titled “Bondage for Beginners”, which was inspired by the release of the Fifty Shades Of Grey film later that month. During the feature Schofield and Bleakley were given introductions to a selection of sex toys including an eye mask, a crystal-encrusted vibrator and a “feather tickler”.

Following the complaints, Ofcom conducted an investigation into the feature, and announced today (April 20) that it has concluded that ‘Bondage for Beginners’ was suitable for broadcast before the 9pm watershed and the show’s hosts gave viewers adequate warning to switch off before the segment began.

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An Ofcom representative said: “Following a careful investigation we concluded this programme didn’t break broadcasting rules, after it aired a feature called ‘bondage for beginners’, before the watershed.”

“The material was scheduled at a time when children were at school and clear warnings were also given in advance of the feature to protect any children who were not at school,” the representative added. “The feature itself was also appropriately limited in terms of detail.”

Speaking shortly after the feature aired, an ITV spokesperson had said: “This Morning is a lifestyle programme that covers a diverse range of human interest topics. Many of our items spark debate and we welcome feedback from our viewers about our content.”

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