Over the past five years, ITV’s Coronation Street has received Ofcom complaints than any other TV show on British TV.
The famous soap has picked up more than 300 complaints – mainly for often showing smoking, drugs, and alcohol in their programmes.
This amount of complaints grossly outnumbers that of Love Island and Emmerdale.
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Many scenes on the Cobbles centre around the Rovers Return Inn, which accounts for the amount of alcohol on show.
One particularly recent storyline was based on drugs and gangs and featured Leanne Battersby and her son Simon Barlow.
Coronation Street, which has been on our screens since the 1960s, came under fire after having cigarettes on display in their Wetherfield shop and often featuring alcohol and drugs in their storylines.
Viewers may remember when Love Island contestants were allowed to smoke on the show but this has since been banned.
Love Island, which is currently airing on ITV2, has also received some complaints over the past five years – 73 to be precise.
The first few series of the popular dating series showed the Islanders smoking, but that has since been cut out of the final edit.
Prior to the ban, contestants who smoked were given 20 cigarettes a day, according to one former contestant.
Viewers pointed out that they could see eight packets of cigarettes on a table during one episode back in 2017.
Corrie’s rival soap Emmerdale was revealed to have received 52 complaints related to such topics.
In 2013, Emmerdale’s Eric Pollard Christ Chittell was named the unhealthiest character in UK soaps.
It was found that he was either drinking or talking about drinking in 62 per cent of his scenes.
Vape Club, who collected these figures say that this demonstrates how much children are shown and exposed to before the watershed and how these are not healthy habits.
The company, which says its specialises in smoking cessation, claims pre-watershed TV keeps exposing children to bad habits.
Dan Marchant, of Vape Club, said: “TV producers need to be responsible when considering whether characters should be depicted smoking, drinking or using drugs. Is it integral to the character?
“In previous years, everyone from detectives and spies to gangsters and soap opera bad boys would be seen smoking, which went a long way towards glamourising the habit.
“But as fewer and fewer people smoke in society, we’re finding that stereotype seems more out of touch.”
The Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) group found that 68 per cent of 11-15 year olds and 77 per cent of 16-18 year olds have seen smoking on TV.
Mr Marchant added: “I don’t believe vaping should be shown on screen either, since it’s a smoking cessation method for adults, and equally should not be glamourised in any way. But I do believe it’s vital that children and young people are exposed to less smoking on TV, particularly in pre-watershed programming.”
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