Channel 4 has attracted almost 1,000 Ofcom complaints over a “body positive” show in which adults pose nude in front of children.
Naked Education aims to tackle taboos around body image for young people, with participants stripping naked on air in front of 14 to 16-year-olds.
Ofcom, the broadcasting watchdog, said it had received 930 complaints from viewers relating to the first episode which aired on April 4.
The complaints related to “nudity before the watershed” and the nudity being “presented to participants in the programme aged 14-16”.
However, Channel 4 has defended the programme, saying it is a clear example of “valuable public service broadcasting” that challenges the misconceptions that cause anxiety to young people.
The programme is hosted by Anna Richardson, who presents Naked Attraction, Channel 4‘s nude dating show.
Despite being aimed at children at 8pm – an hour before the watershed – Richardson has said the new show goes a “step further” than Naked Attraction.
“Naked Education is sort of one step further than Naked Attraction, as it says, ‘let’s normalise bodies, let’s have the conversation about what we go through and let’s educate the nation’,” she told The Sun before the series’ first episode.
“I like to make shows that are controversial, that break taboos and that make a difference, and with every single show that I’ve done you can tick one of those boxes,” she added.
The six-part series features a “naked brigade”, a group of body-positive adults who pose nude on camera in front of teenagers to help them tackle their insecurities.
Episodes deal with issues including body hair, male body image, the effects of ageing and cosmetic surgery.
One episode sees the hosts test teenagers’ knowledge of the female anatomy, while another sees them discuss what happens to the body as it ages.
Dr Alex George, the former Love Island star who was previously appointed a government Youth Mental Health Ambassador, is co-hosting the programme and said it is about “answering questions people are afraid to ask”.
“When I say this series is going to get people talking, I mean it. It will have you laughing one minute and in tears the next.
“The show is all about body positivity and educating people on what ‘normal’ bodies actually look like.
“We talk about everything from the ageing body to [penis] size, answering the questions people are afraid to ask,” he wrote on Instagram.
‘Critics haven‘t watched it’
Ian Katz, Channel 4’s chief content officer, wrote on Twitter in response to criticism about the programme: “Anyone who suggests that the Channel 4 show Naked Education promotes paedophilia or is abusive of children almost certainly hasn’t watched it.
“The show counters the dangerous myths and toxic images that teenagers are bombarded with by exposing them to real, normal bodies and engaging them in an open, safe conversation about them.”
He added: “It would be hard to think of a clearer example of valuable public service broadcasting that challenges the kind of misconceptions that too often cause anxiety and feelings of inadequacy in young people.”
A spokesman for Ofcom said: “We are assessing the complaints against our broadcasting rules, before deciding whether or not to investigate.’
