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Big Brother received more complaints to broadcasting regulator Ofcom than any other show in 2014, new data has revealed. Nearly 4 000 complaints were lodged by viewers and seem to largely stem from winner Helen Wood’s behaviour in the house after she was accused of bullying her fellow contestants. In one uncomfortable episode aired in June, Helen lashed out at Jale Karaturp, branding her a “slug”.

She also referred to her as a “massive ferret face”.

The Channel 5 show’s celebrity counterpart also came under fire from viewers – drawing nearly 2,000 complaints across two series in January and August.

Channel 4’s controversial dog-fighting documentary Cutting Edge: Going to the Dogs came third on the list while Benefits Street, which followed the residents of Birmingham’s underprivileged James Turner Street, also ranked in the top five.

The documentary series made a household name of mum-of-two Dee ‘‘White Dee’’ Kelly and reached highs of 6,5 million viewers, but some felt the show vilified benefit claimants.

In June, Ofcom cleared Channel 4 of any wrongdoing, noting that while some footage could cause offence, Benefits Street had complied satisfactorily with broadcasting standards.

ITV soap Coronation Street drew 367 complaints according to Ofcom, while BBC rival EastEnders had 316 and Emmerdale had 243.

Sky News came under fire for its coverage of the MH17 air disaster in Ukraine in July when reporter Colin Brazier sifted through the luggage of one of the passengers on board the plane.

He later apologised for his “error of judgement”, saying: “Too late, I realised that I was crossing a line. I thought aloud: ‘‘We shouldn’t be doing this . . . this is a mistake’’, an instant apology that was only selectively quoted by those determined to see what I did as a powerful example of journalistic vulturism.”

Ofcom’s most complained about TV shows of 2014:

Big Brother – Channel 5 – 3 784 complaints

Celebrity Big Brother – Channel 5 – 1 874 complaints

Cutting Edge: Going to the Dogs – Channel 4 – 1 805 complaints

Benefits Street – Channel 4 – 967 complaints

Coronation Street – ITV – 367 complaints

The X Factor – ITV – 360 complaints

EastEnders – BBC 1 – 316 complaints

Emmerdale – ITV v 243 complaints

Sky News (20 /07 /14) – 205 complaints

Channel 4 News – 193 complaints. – Mirror.