Ofcom has dismissed more than 21,000 complaints about Rupert Murdoch’s TalkTV, allegedly ruling that a series of broadcasts containing anti-trans views did not raise “substantive issues” requiring further investigation.

The complaints were coordinated by the Good Law Project, a legal advocacy group that urged the media regulator to investigate what it described as a “torrent of transphobic hate” aired across TalkTV’s programmes. Between June 16 and July 14, 21,795 people joined the campaign calling for Ofcom to review 11 separate segments on trans rights, broadcast across the channel’s news and opinion shows.

In these segments, TalkTV hosts and guests repeatedly made comments criticised as transphobic. On June 21, presenter Alex Phillips suggested that trans rights groups knew that “giving children puberty blockers was evil.” Just over a week later, on July 1, host Kevin O’Sullivan accused a trans woman of “pretending” to be female. Meanwhile, Julia Hartley-Brewer made a derogatory comment directed at those seeking to change their gender marker.

Other segments featured guests describing respect for trans people’s rights as a “mutual mass delusion,” while one presenter referred to trans women as “hulking great perverts.” Campaigners argued that these broadcasts breached Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code by failing to uphold due impartiality and by promoting discriminatory views that could harm the trans community.

However, in a leaked email shared by the Good Law Project, Ofcom said it had decided not to investigate the complaints further. The regulator argued that the programmes in question were not “news” and therefore were entitled to greater freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. It added that, taking into account the “contextual factors” and audience expectations, the broadcasts did not warrant further examination.

Good Law Project condemned Ofcom’s decision, saying that the ruling sends a dangerous message about tolerance for transphobia in the British media. “TalkTV’s narrative on trans issues is putting the trans community at risk,” a spokesperson said, adding that the organisation is considering legal action against Ofcom for failing to act.

TalkTV, which ceased linear broadcasting in April 2024 and now operates as a streaming-only service, has faced repeated criticism for its hosts’ remarks on gender identity and trans rights.