- Presenter wore a black maxi dress which exposed plenty of cleavage
- BBC apologises to any viewers who found outfit 'unsuitable'
- Viewer numbers peaked at 8.7million - up on 6.7million previous week
By Steve Robson
|
The BBC was forced to apologise after Holly Willoughby's daring dress for the final of The Voice prompted 139 complaints.
The mother-of-two wore a black maxi dress slashed almost to the navel to host the live show, sending viewer figures soaring by two million.
But TV watchdog Ofcom received calls from scores of viewers who felt the cleavage-flashing was not appropriate for a programme shown before the 9pm watershed.
The BBC has apologised to anyone who found the outfit 'unsuitable'.
Taking the plunge: Holly Willoughby shows off some major cleavage in her low-cut dress as she hosts The Voice final
Flashing the flesh: As well as her low-cut neckline, Holly was also showing off plenty of leg thanks to the thigh-high split
The final of the BBC singing contest, won by Northern Ireland's Andrea Begley, pulled in 8.7million viewers at its peak - an extra two million compared with the previous week.
But many took to Twitter suggesting Ms Willoughby's attention-grabbing dress was a blatant ploy to boost ratings.
One viewer posted: 'If The Voice wants to boost its ratings, why don't they send out Holly in a bikini?'
Another added: 'It's so obvious the BBC is making Holly Willoughby wear low cut dresses so The Voice can get ratings.'
Yesterday a BBC spokesperson told the Daily Mirror: 'We're sorry if some viewers found Holly's dress to be unsuitable.
'Holly enjoys fashion and we felt the dress she wore was glamorous and wholly appropriate for the occasion.
'We don't believe it would have gone against audience expectations for a TV spectacle such as this.'
Distracting: Holly's cleavage was a hot topic on Twitter as she talked to contestants, including Leah McFall
Holly - often nicknamed Holly Willoughbooby - recently admitted she didn't mind the public fixation on her cleavage and had embraced the attention, despite admitting she didn't understand it.
She said: 'I don't mind people fixating on my cleavage and I mainly blame Keith Lemon for bringing it into the main arena so people feel the need to talk about it all the time.
'But it's fine, it's fine - they're only boobs.'
Revealing outfits have previously sparked controversy on The Voice's rival ITV shows. Jennifer Lopez's raunchy performance in a black leotard on Britain's Got Talent prompted more than 100 complaints.
And the 2010 appearance by Rihanna and Christina Aguilera on the X-Factor attracted around 4,500 complaints after their sexually-charged routine.
That prompted Ofcom to issue new guidance to broadcasters to observe the watershed and be mindful of sexual content on 'family shows'
Glamour: Holly teamed her daring dress with large curls and bright red lipstick
Stealing the limelight: Some viewers tweeted they couldn't concentrate on the singing because of Holly's outfit
Defying gravity: Holly was clearly not wearing a bra under her daring dress
Complaints: Ofcom receieved 139 complaints in response to Holly's daring dress
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario