Show in which comedian criticised lineup for not taking sexual harassment claims seriously listed in fortnightly figures

An episode of Have I Got News for You in which host Jo Brand rebuked an all-male panel for seemingly not taking allegations of sexual harassment seriously was the most complained about programme on the BBC in the past two weeks.

Figures published by the BBC reveal the comedy panel show attracted 234 complaints after being broadcast on 3 November.

The episode featured Brand as the host with the Daily Mail journalist Quentin Letts and comedian Miles Jupp alongside regulars Ian Hislop and Paul Merton.

After Hislop commented that some of the allegations emerging from Westminster were not “high-level crime”, Brand intervened by saying: “If I can just say, as the only representative of the female gender here today – I know it’s not high-level, but it doesn’t have to be high-level for women to feel under siege in somewhere like the House of Commons. Actually, for women if you’re constantly being harassed, even in a small way, that builds up and that wears you down.”

The figures also show that the BBC received 8,377 complaints in total between 30 October and 12 November, including 5,529 about programmes.

The BBC has published the information about complaints for the first time after Ofcom, the media regulator, told it to be more transparent.

Under new rules, the BBC will have to reveal the number of complaints it receives every fortnight, identify the shows that received more than 100 complaints, and explain the editorial issues raised by the complaints and whether they were upheld.

The BBC initially fought against publishing the figures due to concerns that it would be expensive and time-consuming.

The information shows that Have I Got News for You and an episode of Strictly Come Dancing on 4 November were the only programmes that received more than 100 complaints. Strictly received 206 complaints, but the BBC said these were about a range of issues and there was not a particular point that it could address.

However, the complaints about Have I Got News for You related to its coverage of sexual harassment allegations at Westminster.

In a response to complaints, the BBC said it would have been “odd” to ignore the scandal in the programme.

Play Video 0:42 Jo Brand silences all-male panel on Have I Got News for You – video

The BBC said: “Guests are booked in advance, rather than for particular topics, and we try very hard to book guests from all areas of the political spectrum.

“This means there will sometimes be panel members with views that the audience and others on the show may disagree with. We do not necessarily share or endorse the views of the panellists and their material doesn’t reflect the opinions of the BBC. The host is also there to chair the show and to add perspective and balance when needs be – as we saw when Jo Brand made her points so eloquently in taking panel members to task in this edition.

“While most viewers know what to expect from the programme, it doesn’t set out to deliberately offend viewers. Its purpose is to be entertaining and to maintain the standards the show has set over the last 27 years. That said, we accept that tastes vary enormously and that some viewers might have a different point of view.”

The BBC has also revealed that a complaint regarding due impartiality and bias against Radio 4’s PM, which is presented by Eddie Mair, was upheld. The complaint related to an episode on 8 June, but details of the issue raised was not provided.

An episode of Newsnight was also ruled to have bias in its coverage of the French presidential election, giving the impression that the host Evan Davis favoured Emmanuel Macron over Marine Le Pen.

BBC to publish details of viewers' complaints under new Ofcom rules Read more

The BBC’s executive complaints unit, which handled the complaint, said: “Newsnight has been reminded of the requirements of due impartiality, so that the perception of its coverage matches its intent.”

In response to the publication of the information about complaints – which offers an unprecedented insight into how audiences react to BBC content – the corporation said: “We have always been transparent on complaints and have already been publishing regular statistics on the numbers of complaints we receive – something other broadcasters don’t do.

“With 95% of UK adults using our services each week and our channels having the biggest and most talked-about shows, it’s no surprise lots of people have an opinion and when we make mistakes we aim to put them right. The number of complaints we receive is sometimes inflated by lobbying campaigns and the seriousness of complaints cannot be judged by volume alone.”