Sandi Toksvig reveals in a new Channel 4 film that a viewer once complained she looked like Tom Cruise, while Big Narstie says he has been accused of being “too black”.
The film – entitled Complaints Welcome – features stars bringing to life genuine complaints which viewers have made about them to Channel 4.
Prue Leith, Mo Gilligan, Channel 4 News’ Jon Snow, Catastrophe’s Sharon Horgan, The Last Leg’s Alex Brooker and Adam Hills, The Derry Girls, Grayson Perry and five-time gold Paralympic medallist Ellie Simmonds have also taken part.
In the film, Great British Bake Off presenter Toksvig appears wearing a Top Gun leather jacket, sat on the back of a powerful motorbike while explosions fill the background as she says in a deep, macho voice: “She looks like Tom Cruise.”
Just before kissing his husband, gay Hollyoaks actor Kieron Richardson reads out the complaint: “I’m not homophobic but do we have to have gay kissing at dinner time?”
Perry appears as his female alter-ego Claire. “It wouldn’t be so bad if he tried to make himself look like a normal woman!” he says.
Simmonds states the objection put to Channel 4 about Paralympians: “They’re not real athletes.”
Sharon Horgan, co-writer and co-star of Catastrophe, sits amidst a group of elderly men in a gentleman’s club and repeats her complaint: “This just confirms my suspicion that women aren’t funny.”
Channel 4’s director of programmes Ian Katz said: “This campaign celebrates one of the things at the heart of Channel 4’s identity: challenging the way our viewers think about the world. When there isn’t someone complaining about one of our shows we should be worried.”
Marketing and media controller James Walker said: “This bold, cheeky film is so uniquely Channel 4. It not only shows off our fantastic range of talent, it reinforces the message that stimulating debate and discussion is part of what we do.”
Other Channel 4 faces featured in the film include Kevin McCloud, Katherine Ryan, Fatima Manji, Dick Strawbridge and Angel Adoree, Jimmy Carr, Jamali Maddix, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Rachel Riley, Cathy Newman and Jamie Oliver.
The campaign, made by in-house creative agency 4 Creative, will launch on Channel 4 on August 20 just before 24 Hours in A&E at 9pm.
Viewers wishing to contact Channel 4 to make a complaint can contact ComplaintsWelcome@Channel4.co.uk.