‘Intrusive and potentially reckless’: Channel 4 bus adverts to be removed after backlash

‘What the hell is this creepy bus ad?’ asks social media users

A Channel 4 bus advert features arrows pointing towards passengers, with the words ‘Loves Naked Attraction’, ‘Hates Naked Attraction’ and ‘Loves Being Naked’ underneath (Tracy King)

A bus advert promoting Channel 4 show “Naked Attraction” will be removed following criticism on social media, where users pointed out it could endanger women and child passengers.

The advert appeared to identify individual bus passengers as “loves being naked” without their consent and has been branded “creepy”, “intrusive” and “potentially reckless” by members of the public.

It features three arrows pointing to seats on the upper deck of a bus, with the words “Loves Naked Attraction”, “Hates Naked Attraction” or “Loves Being Naked” under the respective arrows.

A photograph of a Transport for London bus featuring the advert was shared on Twitter by writer Tracy King, who wrote: “What the hell is this creepy bus ad? You can’t just label non-consenting passengers like that. Does Channel 4 not know how many sexual assaults take place on buses?”

She added: “I can’t imagine what the response could possibly be here. ‘If you don’t like it don’t get on the bus’? ‘Don’t sit on the top deck then’, what is the proposal for passengers to opt out of this, @channel4 @TfL?”

Other social media users responded to King’s tweet and said they had seen the advert on buses in Birmingham, Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh.

One person said: “This is really inappropriate, especially given the volume of assaults and sexual harassment on buses. Did you run it by anyone who actually uses buses, particularly women?”

Others pointed out that children like sitting at the front of the top deck in buses. The arrow with the words “Loves Being Naked” points towards passengers sitting in the front seats of the top deck, raising concerns that it could label children inappropriately.

One person who identified themselves as a high school teacher said: “This ad was on one of our school buses this morning. You know, the buses filled with school kids.”

A spokesperson for TfL said it works to ensure public transport is a safe environment “and any report of sexual assault or inappropriate behaviour is investigated and treated extremely seriously”.

They added: “We have reviewed the ad campaign and decided that it should not continue to run on our bus network. It will be removed as soon as practicable.”

The Advertising Standards Authority confirmed to The Independent that it received more than 25 complaints about the advert, with complainants saying the ad was “offensive, harmful, inappropriate and irresponsible for making light of sexual assault which sometimes takes place on buses and that it also encourages it”.

Last January, research by YouGov revealed that more than half of women say they have suffered sexual harassment on public transport in London. The survey suggested that tens of thousands of incidents on buses and the London Underground go unreported.

The advert comes a week after the Metropolitan Police released images of five men wanted in connection with sexual assaults on London’s bus networks, following a string of attacks that took place between March and July.

A spokesperson for Channel 4 said in a statement: “This ad is based on a Channel 4 entertainment programme. It was not our intention to cause offence and we apologise if it has done so.”