complaints

The series attracted millions of viewers as well as a number of complaints after its thrilling conclusion aired – the corporation has now responded to those

The BBC has responded after a number of complaints were made to the corporation over the charities the Celebrity Traitors victors donated their winnings to.

Last month comedian Romesh Ranganathan, 48, and actor Sebastian Croft, 24, were crowned the winners of the of the second series of the Celebrity Traitors. They won £83,000 between them for their chosen charities, with Croft donating his £41,500 share to the charity Choose Love and Ranganathan sending his cash to the Refugee Council.

However, the BBC said it has received complaints about the charities the prize money has been donated to. Posting an update on its complaints page, the corporation said it had “received complaints about the charities chosen by the winners of The Celebrity Traitors”.

Responding to the complaint, it said: “We recognise that some audience members were unhappy with the charities chosen by the winning celebrities. This feedback has been shared with the relevant parties.”

Last week Ranganathan and Croft hit back against the complaints that had been shared on social media in the wake of their win. Appearing on Croft’s Sunday Scaries podcast, Ranganathan said: “Look, people have different opinions, but I feel like (refugees are) a distraction tactic, and people are being pointed in that direction for something to blame, is my personal opinion.”

The comedian said he decided to support the charity after becoming “so fed up with the rhetoric against refugees”. Ranganathan then said he had received comments calling his choice of charity a “disgrace”.

However, he added: “The people kicking off about it has kind of galvanised the people that really think it’s a lovely thing. I think that discussion, that back and forth, has actually been really positive.”

Croft’s winnings went to Choose Love, a global humanitarian organisation and movement, formerly known as Help Refugees, which supports refugees and displaced people around the world through emergency aid and long-term support. The Heartstopper actor said: “It felt like such a nice moment at the time, but then to see the response, what it made me realise is that’s people’s response to a game show donating money to people who are really vulnerable. Imagine how difficult it is for those people navigating that system.”

Ranganathan also added that it was pure “coincidence” they had both decided to support refugee organisations.

Following Croft’s win, Choose Love’s acting chief executive Emma Stevenson said: “We are absolutely thrilled and deeply grateful to Bash (Croft) for choosing Choose Love as his designated charity following his incredible win on Celebrity Traitors. Bash has been a long-time friend and dedicated supporter of our work, and we could not be prouder of him.

“This vital funding will quite literally change and save lives. It allows us to extend critical support to refugees and displaced people, especially LGBTQ+ individuals who face displacement, violence and persecution simply for who they are. We can’t thank Bash enough, it means the world.”

The Refugee Council supports people who have fled war, violence and persecution to find safety and rebuild their lives in Britain. Its chief executive Katie Ghose said: “We have loved every minute of watching Romesh and cheering him along from the sidelines. To see him win is the icing on the cake.

“Romesh continues to be a brilliant champion for our cause. As we saw in the castle, he has a unique combination of huge public appeal, warmth and humanity, at the same time as being a gifted comedic legend.

“Romesh’s support will help us continue to provide vital frontline services to refugees and people in the asylum system who come to Britain in search of safety and the chance to rebuild their lives.”

One-way drone attacks have killed or wounded 484 civilians since February, Khartoum says.

Sudan has lodged a complaint against Ethiopia with both the United Nations Security Council and the African Union’s Peace and Security Council after a series of deadly drone attacks this year.

In a statement late on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group of using Ethiopian territory to launch “brazen aggression” against “civilian sites and power stations” in Sudan, resulting in hundreds of casualties and disruptions to essential services.

The string of incidents “places Ethiopia before international law”, the ministry added.

Sudan’s military has repeatedly accused Ethiopia of aiding the RSF, which it has been fighting in a civil war since April 2023. Ethiopia, meanwhile, has accused the Sudanese military of backing rebels linked to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, a charge Khartoum denied.

The ministry’s statement came alongside a report from Sudan’s army-led Transitional Sovereignty Council that alleged 70 assaults from February 15 to October 27 involving 187 one-way attack drones.

The attacks killed or wounded 484 civilians and killed 176 Sudanese soldiers, the report said, with another 200 soldiers wounded.

“Since February 2026, armed drones have taken off from Ethiopian soil … to strike Sudanese cities and civilians,” the report said.

The report identified launch sites at Asosa Airport in western Ethiopia, the Kurmuk-Gizen border area and Bahir Dar airbase in northwestern Ethiopia’s Amhara region.

Last month saw 28 attacks carried out by 97 drones, the report said.

It cited an October 9 attack on displaced families in Wad el-Mahi, located in Sudan’s Blue Nile region near the Ethiopian border, which it said killed 30 civilians – 26 women and four children – and wounded 100.

A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Saturday that he was “appalled” by the impact of drone strikes in Sudan, days after another strike on a market in RSF-controlled territory in Darfur killed more than 100 people.

The secretary-general “strongly condemns the escalating drone attacks in Sudan by the parties to the conflict and the catastrophic toll these attacks are inflicting on civilians”, the spokesman said, adding that the strikes constitute violations of international humanitarian law.

Host Emma Willis returned to screens on Saturday night to present the final of The Voice UK

Viewers of The Voice UK issued complaints just minutes into the 2026 final.

During last weekend’s semi-final, coaches Kelly Rowland, will.i.am, Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher, and Sir Tom Jones had to select just one performer from their team to advance to the grand final. Each judge had to choose from their three remaining contestants.

Kelly chose to advance Monique Nicholson-Porter, while Tom and Danny and will.i.am chose Frank Raven and Naná Aldrin-Quaye, respectively. Cate McHugh rounds out the line-up, after being chosen by Sir Tom.

The final four singers prepared to battle it out on Saturday night (October 31), in a bid to become the winner of The Voice UK 2026. But as Emma Willis introduced the final, it didn’t take long for ITV viewers to issue complaints over the episode not being live.

Due to the entire series being pre-recorded, fans watching at home couldn’t vote by phone, app or text to choose the winner, which has sparked criticism. The champion is instead determined by the studio audience present during the filming of the final.

“Love The Voice but I still say the public should be involved. No live shows, studio audience only. It’s not a patch on the show it used to be. I think the artists have been let down by the format,” one viewer fumed on X.

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Another added: “What is the point of The Voice nowadays may I ask. They’ve not even had a live final for five years and there’s no public interaction whatsoever. May as well not bother televising it.” A third said: “Did #TheVoiceUK used to have a live final? What’s the actual point if we don’t vote because the audience haven’t followed their journey? Bit weird isn’t it.” Meanwhile, someone else complained: “It’s not in sync!!!!”

Many other viewers were delighted to watch the final, despite it not being live. Someone praised the coaches’ opening performance, writing: “I don’t usually watch #thevoice but that opening number was brilliant!” Another added: “Brilliant opening number by the judges.”

At the start of the episode, Emma said: “By the end of the evening, one of our finalists will be crowned champion. And as well as signing a record deal with Universal Music Group, they’ll also win an out of this world holiday with Universal Orlando resort, and £50,000 in cash. Wouldn’t go amiss, would it?

“It’s a prize definitely fit for a champion and it’s down to our wonderful studio audience to decide who receives it. No pressure at all!”

The Voice UK final will mark the final appearances of host Emma and coaches Sir Tom Jones, Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones, following the announcement that the four stars won’t be back next year. Emma has recently begun hosting Strictly Come Dancing alongside Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe. She will be replaced by Alesha Dixon and Stacey Solomon next year, as they take the reins for series 15.

Meanwhile, the famous red chairs will see the arrival of two musical forces making their debut as coaches. Platinum-selling rap artist Aitch and global pop icon Cheryl will begin their hunt for the nation’s next vocal powerhouse during the upcoming series.

The Voice UK is available to stream on ITVX