 Ofcom has started an investigation into the infamous Laurence Fox episode of Dan Wootton Tonight on GB News after receiving around 7,300 complaints, the regulator said. The regulator said it was investigating under Rule 2.3 of the Broadcasting Code which states when 'applying generally accepted standards broadcasters must ensure that material which may cause offence is justified by the context'. Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom chief executive, said: 'Over the last few days there has been speculation and commentary about our role as the independent broadcast regulator. These are important issues and I wanted to be clear about our rules. 'Parliament sets objectives on how the broadcast sector should be regulated. We set and enforce rules to achieve these objectives. Contrary to some claims, these rules remain unchanged. 'They are designed to protect audiences from offensive and harmful material, and to uphold the integrity of broadcast news and current affairs programming, while always ensuring that freedom of expression is front and centre in every decision we take. This is highly valued by audiences and central to our democracy. 'The decisions we take, always based on facts and evidence once a programme has aired, are vital if we are to protect our vibrant media landscape. We continue to apply and enforce these rules without fear or favour.' This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates. If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. Follow Metro.co.uk Entertainment on Twitter and Facebook for the latest celeb and entertainment updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Ofcom has started an investigation into the infamous Laurence Fox episode of Dan Wootton Tonight on GB News.
The media watchdog are investigating whether Tuesday’s episode breached its rules on offence.
Ofcom received around 7,300 complaints over the episode, in which guest Laurence Fox made a series of ‘unacceptable and disgraceful’ personal comments about female journalist, Ava Evans.
Both men were suspended by the broadcaster after Wootton laughed in response to Fox’s widely criticised comments, in which he asked about Evans: ‘Who would want to shag that?’