Channel 4’s winter sports reality show The Jump has escaped censure from the broadcasting regulator despite a string of complaints about serious injuries suffered by stars including Olympians Beth Tweddle and Rebecca Adlington, and Holby City actor Tina Hobley.
Ofcom has been assessing 17 complaints by viewers about the level of danger to which contestants are subjected, after seven of an initial lineup of 12 celebrities were forced to pull out through injury.
The most serious injury was to Tweddle, a gymnast who won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics and had “potentially life-changing” surgery to fuse fractured vertebrae following a crash on the ski jump.
Adlington, the Olympic gold-winning swimmer, dislocated her shoulder and Hobley fractured her arm in two places, in an incident caused by crew not clearing the area on which she was landing.
The string of incidents resulted in Channel 4 launching a safety review of The Jump, which came to be dubbed “the most dangerous show on television”, and sparked social media calls for the series to be cancelled.
Despite the furore, Ofcom dismissed viewers’ complaints, saying there were no grounds to launch a full investigation under the UK broadcasting code.
There is no rule requiring broadcasters to ensure the physical welfare of adults, as there is for children who appear on shows.
“We received a number of complaints about the welfare of the participants in this programme themed around winter sports, but won’t be taking them forward for investigation,” said Ofcom. “We noted that all the participants in The Jump were consenting adults and were aware of the potential risk of injury when they decided to take part.”
It has been speculated in the media the third series of The Jump will be its last, with Channel 4 considering whether to axe the show.
The final episode of the latest series, which aired on Sunday night, drew an average of 1.8 million viewers.
