In a significant move, the UK’s media regulator, Ofcom, has initiated investigations into two GB News broadcasts following a wave of public complaints. The action comes in response to remarks made by guests on The Saturday Five in June and Alex Armstrong Tonight in July, which sparked widespread controversy and condemnation.
The investigations were prompted by comments made by Syntyche Djunga, known as Based and Bougie, and Caroline Farrow, which were deemed offensive by many viewers. The backlash led to a surge in complaints, with campaigners and activists rallying to hold the broadcaster accountable.
Ofcom’s response to public outcry
Ofcom’s latest Broadcast and On Demand Bulletin confirms that both programmes are now subject to Standards investigations. The investigation into The Saturday Five relates to its 20 June 2026 broadcast, while the Alex Armstrong Tonight investigation concerns the 5 July edition.
The Good Law Project played a pivotal role in driving the complaints, with more than 12,000 members of the public submitting complaints about the Alex Armstrong Tonight broadcast. A further 3,000 complaints were made about The Saturday Five following campaigns by RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Bimini and influencer Liam Rondi.
Controversial remarks spark backlash
In the first case, Syntyche Djunga made contentious claims during a discussion about the sexual abuse and murder of 13-month-old Preston Davey in 2026. She asserted that gay men and gay couples are more prone to domestic abuse and child sexual assault with their adopted children. Djunga also claimed that gay men were more prone to sexual deviancy stating that the statistics are out there and had been proven time and time again.
The comments prompted a fierce backlash, with campaigners accusing GB News of perpetuating harmful stereotypes about LGBTQ+ people. The Good Law Project argued that the statements were blatantly homophobic and had the effect of promoting hate towards the LGBTQ+ community.
Caroline Farrow’s remarks on Pride in London
In the second case, Caroline Farrow made controversial comments about Pride events during a discussion with Liberal Democrat councillor Mathew Hulbert, chaired by publicly gay presenter Alex Armstrong. Following Pride in London 2026, Farrow described the event as a very sexualised display and criticized it for not being about gay rights.
Farrow stated, I think the problem that Pride has is [that it’s] not about gay rights. It has become about celebrating every single sexuality that isn’t heterosexuality, including some very bizarre and unhealthy kinks and quirks, like furries and bestiality, and even minor-attracted, they call themselves minor-attracted. You know, paedophiles.
Alex Armstrong pushed back, saying, I don’t think [Pride] was full of paedophiles and everything. The Good Law Project reported that 15,000 members of the public complained to Ofcom about the two broadcasts.
The role of Liam Rondi and campaigners
Journalist Liam Rondi has been at the forefront of the campaign against GB News, spending several weeks gathering information to share with the community. He has been supported by notable figures such as RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Bimini, Green Party leader Zack Polanski, and others.
A campaign led by Bimini helped drive complaints about the Alex Armstrong Tonight broadcast, with the star celebrating what they described as a record number of direct complaints to Ofcom about a single GB News broadcast.
This is not the first time Ofcom has been called to take action against GB News for airing hateful anti-LGBTQ+ speech. In 2026, the UK’s media regulator found that the conservative channel breached its Broadcasting Code when Josh Howie compared LGBTQ+ people to child abusers during his opinion show Headliners.
The incident came after Howie referenced a quote from Episcopalian bishop Mariann Budde, who had urged US president Donald Trump to show mercy to queer people. Howie added, I just want to say that that includes paedos. Despite the remarks sparking more than 71,500 complaints to the regulator, GB News did not face any sanctions from Ofcom.
