London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 28, 2025

‘Woke rubbish’: Hundreds complain to UK media watchdog over Channel 4’s deepfake Queen on Christmas Day

British broadcaster Channel 4 has been hit with hundreds of complaints over its Christmas Day message starring a ‘deepfake’ Queen, who danced on a table and joked about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ditching the royal family.
British broadcaster Channel 4 has been hit with hundreds of complaints over its Christmas Day message starring a ‘deepfake’ Queen, who danced on a table and joked about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ditching the royal family.

Ofcom said it had received at least 214 complaints over the broadcast of the digitally-altered monarch, which Channel 4 described as intended to provide a “stark warning” about the use of technology for “fake news in a digital age.”

The four-minute film starred English actress and impressionist Debra Stephenson, whose image was enhanced using ‘deepfake’ technology from Oscar-winning VFX studio Framestore, in order to generate an uncanny resemblance to Queen Elizabeth II.

In this alternative to the BBC’s official Christmas speech, the Queen also pokes fun at Boris Johnson’s sex life, her son Prince Andrew’s legal woes, and at one point even jumps up on her desk to perform a TikTok dance challenge. Channel 4’s head of programming said the clip served as a “powerful reminder that we can no longer trust our own eyes.”

But not everyone saw the funny side of trifling with Britain’s head of state, with some online commenters saying Channel 4 should show the monarch some “respect,” while others claimed the broadcast was “illegal” and even “treasonous.”

One Twitter user wrote: “I would rather go to the kitchen and hold my hands down on the hot plate for 10 minutes than watch this ‘woke’ rubbish.”

“How dare they,” was Brexit backer Nigel Farage’s response to the Channel 4 sketch, while a review by the Telegraph gave it just two out of five stars, describing it as “dismal” and “toothless satire.”

Amid the backlash, a Channel 4 spokesperson defended the skit, saying it was “affectionate and comedic in tone,” while carrying an important message. “It is very clear in the four-minute film that it is a parody of the Christmas Day address and viewers were left in no doubt that it was not real,” they added.

After the 214 complaints, Ofcom said it would consult the Broadcasting Code and decide whether to launch an investigation.

The number of complaints is relatively low compared to other UK television controversies in 2020, such as when the BBC used the N-word in a news item, drawing 18,600 complaints, or when ITV was hit with 1,900 objections after Britain’s Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon sported a BLM necklace on the show.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
×