How to complain about a TV or radio programme

Viewers and listeners often complain to us about programmes they’ve seen or heard on TV and radio.

Each one of these complaints is then assessed against the Broadcasting Code to see if it needs investigating further.

The code sets standards for television and radio shows and broadcasters have to follow these rules.

These rules exist to protect viewers and listeners but also to ensure broadcasters have the freedom to make challenging programmes.

Broadcasting Code

The rules not only cover harm and offence, but also other areas like impartiality and accuracy, sponsorship and commercial references as well as fairness and privacy.

If you ever need to complain about something you have seen or heard on TV or radio, you can submit your complaint by filling out a form on this website.

To help you we have produced the video above which will talk you through each step of the process.

Complaints process

It also explains what we can and cannot investigate.

For example, Ofcom is a post-transmission regulator – that means we can only look at complaints about programmes that have already been broadcast.

We can consider complaints about programmes transmitted by all broadcasters licensed in the UK as well as the BBC and S4C.

However, we cannot consider complaints about accuracy and impartiality in BBC TV and radio programmes. These complaints have to be dealt with by the BBC.

We also have a written guide which explains in more detail how we deal with your complaints, from the moment we first receive them right through to the end of the process.

Subtitled version of video

ParentPort: Working together for media standards