'Gogglebox' hit with Ofcom complaints after Meghan and Harry jokes

Channel 4 show Gogglebox has received more than 50 Ofcom complaints after its cast members made comments about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The Sun reported that the broadcast regulator has received 51 complaints for "anti-royalist commentary" in relation to the episode aired on 12 March.

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The episode featured the cast members discussing the Oprah with Meghan and Harry programme and aiming jokes at the couple and the wider royal family.

Popular cast member Lee Riley said that the idea of marrying a prince seems like a fairy tale "until you meet our royal family", as the interview began.

Watch: Royal revelations in Harry and Meghan interview

After Prince Harry alleged that members of the royal operation suggested Meghan should return to acting in order to pay for her own security, Stephen Webb quipped: "What did they want her to do? Get her a part in EastEnders?"

Sophie Sandiford then suggested the royals should "stick her in the gift shop" to cover her costs, adding: "You know, 30 hours a week in the gift shop should cover her funds."

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The cast members also discussed the incendiary allegation that a member of the family asked questions about the skin colour of Harry and Meghan's baby and Meghan's admission that she contemplated suicide.

Baasit Siddiqui said: "If you're not acknowledging [racism], you're part of the problem."

In a subsequent segment, the cast were seen to laugh at the Buckingham Palace statement issued in the wake of the interview, noting the vagueness of the words "recollections may vary"

An average audience of more than 11 million people watched the Oprah interview in the UK via ITV, with a further 17 million people tuning in to the US broadcast on CBS.

This made the programme by far the biggest TV broadcast of the year in Britain, surpassing the final of celebrity singing competition The Masked Singer.

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The interview has provoked discussion across the UK's media landscape, with Piers Morgan stepping down from his role as presenter of Good Morning Britain in the wake of comments about the royal couple.

He announced his departure hours after walking off the set amid a heated discussion with weather presenter Alex Beresford.

Watch: Piers Morgan breaks Ofcom complaint record after Meghan Markle comments