This Morning scraps controversial energy bills prize after viewer backlash
This Morning has axed a prize offering viewers the chance to win the cost of their "energy bills" during their Spin To Win game after a backlash.
The show received almost 200 complaints when angry viewers contacted Ofcom over the segment – which led to uproar on social media as irate fans of the ITV Daytime show aired their disgust at the idea.
The broadcasting watchdog confirmed that 170 furious viewers contacted them to demand the game be investigated after the show aired the piece.
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In a weekly audience report it was confirmed that Ofcom were contacted 170 times over the details of the competition prize on September 5th.
On Wednesday (September 7) the 'energy bills' section had disappeared from the wheel and been replaced by a cash sum.
Viewers then took to Twitter to discuss the vanishing segments as they noted the change.
One wrote: "Monday it was energy bills. Tuesday it was household bills. Today it’s cold hard cash. #ThisMorning"
Another added: "I love the way they’ve removed the £3,000 as well as the utility bills. I bet Phil suggested having a £50 top prize. #thismorning" with laughing face emojis.
A third quipped: "#ThisMorning see they've dropped the "bills paid" lol When the public speaks lol."
No mention of the change or the complaints was made by presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby as they set about giving away the remaining prize options.
On Monday Essex resident Darren was the one to bag four months free energy bills thanks to ITV.
Before spinning the wheel for Darren, Phillip quizzed the This Morning viewer on whether or not he was concerned with the soaring prices of electricity in the UK.
Naturally, the caller admitted that he was dreading the colder months and shared his relief once the wheel landed on the "energy bills" tab.
"That's such a relief" the caller enthused after winning the prize.
However, This Morning viewers were as impressed with the new Spin to Win prize option.
"Paying for viewers' energy bills just feels wrong. Obviously it's a nice incentive, but wow, it just shows the grim reality we're all living in," one viewer tweeted.
"Has it all got this bad that Holly and Phil are now giving away free energy bills on This Morning? I can't believe it honestly," someone else shared.
"Grim times indeed," another wrote.
An Ofcom spokesperson told Daily Star: "We are assessing the complaints against our broadcasting rules, but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate."
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV
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