Phillip Schofield Blasts 'Outraged Middle England' For Complaining About Bondage Report

Phillip Schofield Blasts 'Outraged Middle England' For Complaining About Bondage Report
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This Morning host Phillip Schofield has slammed viewers who complained about the show’s “bondage for beginners” segment.

Schofield’s fury comes after communications watchdog Ofcom launched an investigation into the matter after receiving 120 complaints.

The report was inspired by the Fifty Shades Of Grey movie and featured an interview with a "sex expert" about a range of sex toys including an eye mask, a leash and collar and a bodywand.

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'Any minor outrage': Phillip Schofield

Ofcom has "opened an investigation into whether an item about 'bondage for beginners' was suitable for broadcast before the watershed".

Schofield, who presented the item with Christine Bleakley, told the Press Association that people complained to Ofcom over "any minor outrage" and that "behind those closed, outraged doors of middle England" the raunchy items that they featured were snapped up online.

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"I think for me, and it's my own personal belief, but in the old days, people would pick up the phone and complain or they'd write a letter.

"But now they go to Ofcom and they must be sick to death of all of this.

"Any minor outrage that anyone's got, they go to Ofcom. They must be inundated with minor complaints."

He added: "As far as I'm concerned, This Morning has always pushed the boundaries.

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"Richard and Judy did it when they launched Viagra for the first time, the first time we did a testicular examination, the first time we did an examination to hopefully safeguard yourself against breast cancer, people were outraged, up in arms. This was shocking, shocking television.

"Since the first day This Morning did that, we've saved countless lives."

Schofield, who presents new ITV show You're Back In The Room, added: "Obviously I'm not saying the bondage is going to save anyone's life but what we did was reflect on what everyone else was doing or talking about at the time.

"Everyone went to see the movie and if you look at the stuff we had on there, it was very innocent stuff and also spectacularly when the item had finished the things we had were all sold out in moments.

"So behind those closed, outraged doors of middle England, what they were secretly doing was going to buy this stuff online."

An ITV spokesman defended the broadcast saying it was a “lifestyle programme” that covered a “diverse range of human interest topics.”

He added: "The programme has dealt with advice on sexual matters many times in the past, and a suitable announcement was given at the start. Many of our items spark debate and we welcome feedback from our viewers about our content."

The show has also run slots on a couple who spent over £20,000 on sex dolls, a man who claims to have sex with cars and a woman who says she has had intercourse with a ghost.

Bondage For Beginners
Bondage For Beginners (01 of06)
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"Bondage" covers a very wide spectrum of sex acts, and can mean something different to every person," says Rochelle Peachey, couples counsellor, author and founder of transatlantic dating site I Love Your Accent Is it being blindfolded and maybe tying your wrists with silk scarves or something way more elaborate? Or something you would like to add to your sex life or is this something you like to do all the time? Whatever it is, as long as you both agree on the boundaries, anything goes. Bondage isn't all whips, dungeons and medieval torture but make no mistake they do play a huge part for many." (credit:Alamy)
Make Your Own Rules(02 of06)
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"There are no rules to follow, you make the rues together," says Rochelle Peachey. "Create a special word in case it gets too much for you, something sexier than screaming "get off me". (credit:Alamy)
Be Sober(03 of06)
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"Although it's often more tempting to play sex games when you're feeling a bit tipsy, it's best not to try bondage when you're under the influence of drink or drugs, as you might misjudge how tightly to tie the knots or, as the restrained person, be unable to establish your comfort levels in an accurate way," says Emily Dubberley, author of The Field Guide to F*cking. (credit:Alamy)
Be Creative (04 of06)
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"Take a DIY approach to bondage if you're on a budget. Clingfilm can be used to wrap around your lover's wrists, and if you use a single layer, it's easy enough to snap. You can get kitsch and use liquorice bootlaces to bind your lover's wrists, go for a cheap option and use toilet paper," advises Emily Dubberley. (credit:Alamy)
Safety First(05 of06)
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"With bondage, there's a risk you can tie your partner too tightly and cause damage to their nerves. To avoid this, when someone is restrained by their wrists or ankles make sure that you check their extremities (hands and feet) regularly to ensure that they're not going cold (which is a sign that you've blocked their circulation). If the extremities do feel cold, untie your partner immediately and massage their hands or feet to help restore blood flow," explains Rochelle Peachey. (credit:Alamy)
Be Prepared(06 of06)
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"Make sure that you keep a pair of scissors to hand, so that you can release your partner quickly if the need arises. Similarly, if you're using handcuffs, keep two sets of handcuff keys near by (it's always best to have a spare just in case you lose the first set)," says Emily Dubberley. (credit:Alamy)
'Fifty Shades Of Grey': Where Do You Know The Cast From?
Jamie Dornan (Christian Grey)(01 of10)
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Let's start with the obvious, shall we?Leading man Jamie Dornan is probably best known for his role in 'The Fall', but you might recognise him from the film 'Marie Antoinette' or the TV series 'Once Upon A Time', where he played The Huntsman.That said, you just might have seen his impressive Calvin Klein underwear ad campaign a few years ago too... (credit:Jon Kopaloff via Getty Images)
Dakota Johnson (Anastasia Steele)(02 of10)
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Daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, Dakota starred in 'The Social Network' and '21 Jump Street' prior to landing the part of the leading lady in 'Fifty Shades'.She also starred in the final episode of the US 'Office', and - like her co-star Jamie Dornan - has also done some modelling work. (credit:Gardiner Anderson/Bauer-Griffin via Getty Images)
Eloise Mumford (Kate Kavanagh)(03 of10)
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Fresh from her roles in TV shows 'Lone Star' and 'The River', Eloise has landed her biggest role to date as Anastasia's roommate and confidante, Kate. (credit:Jim Spellman via Getty Images)
Jennifer Ehle (Carla Wilkes)(04 of10)
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Over the course of her career, Jennifer has bagged two Tony Awards for her roles in 'The Real Thing' and 'The Coast Of Utopia'. She was also awarded the Best Actress TV Bafta in 1996, for her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet in 'Pride and Prejudice'.More recently, Jennifer starred opposite Colin Firth in 'The King's Speech', and also nabbed roles in 'Contagion' and 'Zero Dark Thirty'. She's playing Ana's loving but often-absent mum in 'Fifty Shades'. (credit:ROBYN BECK via Getty Images)
Victor Rasuk (José Rodriguez)(05 of10)
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One of Victor's biggest pre-'Fifty Shades' roles was in skating film 'Lords of Dogtown'. A method actor, Victor tried to remain in character at all times, leading to him fracturing one of his orbital bones while skating in his spare time. Ouchie.He also appeared in 'Godzilla' last year, as well as the Steve Jobs biopic, 'Jobs', where he played Bill Fernandez. (credit:Craig Barritt via Getty Images)
Luke Grimes (Elliott Grey)(06 of10)
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You might recognise handsome American actor Luke Grimes from his part in 'American Sniper', or his recurring role in the American drama 'Brothers And Sisters', where he played Ryan Lafferty.He'll be playing Christian Grey's adopted brother Elliott in the new movie. (credit:Rindoff/Dufour via Getty Images)
Rita Ora (Mia Grey)(07 of10)
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Never heard of her. Next. (credit:Steve Granitz via Getty Images)
Marcia Gay Harden (Grace Trevelyan Grey)(08 of10)
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Despite having a relatively small role, Oscar-winning actress Marcia probably has the most impressive CV of all of the 'Fifty Shades' stars.Some of the films she's starred in include 'Meet Joe Black', 'The First Wives Club', 'Whip it' and 'Pollock', which bagged her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. (credit:Michael Tran via Getty Images)
Dylan Neal (Bob Adams)(09 of10)
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Dylan Neal will be playing Anastasia's stepdad and main father figure and source of guidance, Bob.After leaving American soap opera 'The Bold and the Beautiful' after two years, he went on to star in 'Sabrina The Teenage Witch' (as Sabrina's last ever love interest), 'Dawson's Creek' and, more recently, 'Bones'. (credit:Angela Weiss via Getty Images)
Max Martini (Jason Taylor)(10 of10)
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Not to be confused with the similarly-named Grammy-winning pop producer, Max Martini will be playing Christian Grey's faithful head of security, Taylor, in 'Fifty Shades'.His credits include three years in 'The Unit', and an important role in 'Pacific Rim', where he played Hercules Hansen. (credit:Araya Diaz via Getty Images)