Good Morning Britain hit with more than 1,000 Ofcom complaints over heated XL bully shouting match-Ruth Lawes and Meghna Amin-Entertainment – Metro

Good Morning Britain has been hit with more than 1,000 Ofcom complaints after a debate about XL bully dogs descended into chaos, with presenter Ranvir Singh being forced to step in.

A heated argument erupted on Thursday’s show last week when guest Mike Parry stated that the breed should be put down, to the anger of owner Kay Taiwo.

The debate came after XL bullies attacked two boys in separate incidents in Hull and South Wales, while earlier this month a woman in her 50s was mauled to death by two of the dogs.

On GMB on Thursday, Mike and Kay began shouting over each other after disagreeing on how to handle the breed, forcing Ranvir to interject and bring their fiery clash to a close.

When the ITV programme cut to Lorraine, presenter Joel Dommett was visibly taken aback by the explosive segment, remarking that it was ‘intense.’

And viewers were clearly as disturbed, with Ofcom being hit by 1,634 complaints related to the discussion, Metro.co.uk can confirm.

The shouting match erupted when GMB host Richard Madeley asked Mike how he proposed to kill every XL bully in the country.

Ranvir Singh was desperately trying to maintain the peace on GMB (Picture: ITV)

Mike and Kay locked horns over XL bullies (Picture: ITV)

The dog in the studio was wearing a muzzle (Picture: ITV)

He replied: ‘The only legal XL bully dogs in the country are registered. We know where they all are and they should go away.’

However, Kay, who brought her pet XL bully into the ITV studio wearing a muzzle, interrupted and claimed many other large dogs made people feel ‘afraid.’

Talking over Kay, Mike raised his voice and said: ‘Why does that dog have jaws that are so strong that they break arms.’

Kay and Mike then continued to shout over each other, prompting Ranvir to extend both her arms to calm them down.

‘Guys,’ she said. ‘Kay and Mike. Kay and Mike. It’s the debate that we’re going to keep having, isn’t it? But thank you both for coming here, you represent very different points of view.’

The debate sparked more than 1,000 complaints (Picture: ITV)

Richard and Ranveer had to intervene in the shouting match (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

Ranvir then cut to Joel who is standing in for Lorraine. Looking shell-shocked, the comedian said: ‘Wow. Woah. That was intense.’

Viewers were also stunned by the segment, with @BiBetty3 writing: ‘Bloody hell! Get control ffs! The dog has far more control than the humans arguing about it.’

Others were just as divided as the GMB guests, with Ken writing: ‘GMB are cynically SENSATIONALISING the XL Bully problem by pushing the idea of “put them down’ as a realistic option. COMPULSORY NEUTERING would solve the problem …and allow the breed to die down naturally.’

‘No such thing as bad dogs, only bad owners,’ @SmokeyToes76 opposed.

‘That poor dog just tryna have a nap,’ Christie meanwhile commented.

Last month, Angeline Mahal, 50, died after she was mauled in Cornwall Close, Hornchurch.

She was declared dead at the scene and the two registered dogs were seized after being contained in a room.

Joel remarked that the debate between Kay and Mike was ‘intense’ (Picture: ITV)

It is a criminal offence to own an XL bully in England and Wales without an exemption certificate (Picture: John Keeble/Getty Images)

A relative, who did not wish to be named, said Ms Mahal had the dogs ‘since they were puppies.’

They added: ‘We don’t know the full details yet but I think only one of them attacked her.’

In March, a toddler in Doncaster was mauled by his family’s pet XL Bully and he was taken to hospital.

From February 1, it became a criminal offence to own the XL bully breed in England and Wales without an exemption certificate.

Anyone who owns one of the dogs must have had the animal neutered, have it microchipped and keep it muzzled and on a lead in public, among other restrictions.

The Government’s move to ban XL bullies followed a series of attacks.

According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 16 deaths due to dog attacks in 2023, a sharp rise from preceding years where the number had been in single figures.

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV and ITVX.

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