Ofcom rejects complaints over Noel Fielding’s fridge gag on The Great British Bake Off

Ofcom has confirmed it will not investigate The Great British Bake Off 2017 over a controversial moment that saw host Noel Fielding appear to shut himself inside a refrigerator.

During the third episode of the latest series, broadcast on Tuesday 12th September, presenter Sandi Toksvig opened a fridge door to reveal co-host Noel inside.

He then warned the bakers they were halfway through their current challenge, before Sandi shut the door again.

Some viewers weren’t happy, claiming young fans of the family-friendly Channel 4 show may have been tempted to copy the gag.

Just when you thought @NoelFielding11 couldn’t get any cooler…#GBBO #BreadWeek pic.twitter.com/XLTzXo4W2r

— Channel 4 (@Channel4) September 12, 2017

“You should never shut people in a Fridge even for comic effect,” one person wrote on Twitter. “Children have died doing that,” another added.

Ofcom eventually received a total of 55 complaints about the risky stunt.

However, the media regulator has confirmed this week that it will not launch an investigation in to the matter.

An Ofcom spokesperson said: “We assessed complaints that a scene in this programme was potentially dangerous and could be imitated by children.

“We found that the scene was very brief and occurred later in the programme, when younger children were least likely to be watching.”

The statement also reassured viewers that “all fridges made after 1960 must include a mechanism to open the door from the inside”.

This year’s Bake Off is nearing its conclusion, with just one week to go until the grand final.

Tonight’s semi-final, at 8.00pm on Channel 4, will see contestants Kate, Sophie, Stacey and Steven face patisserie week.

Last week it was revealed that the show’s professional spin-off Creme De La Creme is moving to C4 from the BBC.