Bake Off faces Ofcom probe following 'Noel Fielding in a fridge' complaints

While most of us were giggling over phallic bread during Tuesday night's Great British Bake Off, others were turning red with rage over Noel Fielding climbing inside a fridge, anger which has now resulted in a possible Ofcom investigation.

During this week's episode, Fielding was seen declaring the remaining baking time while hiding in a fridge, which fellow host Sandi Toksvig then playfully shut, apparently trapping Fielding inside.

But the joke, which lasted all of five seconds, sparked a flurry of outrage on social media, with viewers branding Fielding's actions "irresponsible".

"How stupid can you be?" one viewer ranted on Twitter. "You should never shut people in a fridge even for comic effect! Children are watching this!"

Another complained: "Well done Channel 4 – showing a man hiding in a fridge. Children have died doing that. Not funny."

Television regulators Ofcom have confirmed they have since received 24 complaints about the incident, with the watchdog to determine shortly whether it should be probed further.

The last time Bake Off came under the wrath of Ofcom was in 2014, when they ultimately decided not to investigate the show's infamous "Bingate" incident, despite 800 complaints from viewers.

The episode saw baker Ian Watters storming off after discovering his Baked Alaska had melted – with viewers accusing fellow baker Diana Beard of potentially sabotaging the dessert by removing it from a freezer without his knowledge.

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