Officers demand the 'offensive' title be changed

Police officers are demanding ITV change the name of its new comedy about trainee cops – saying the title Piglets is  ‘disgusting’ and ‘offensive’.

The Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents more than 145,000 rank-and-file officers, claims the term is  ‘incredibly dangerous’ and could even put their members at risk.

Acting national chair Tiffany Lynch said the show ‘is highly offensive to police officers risking their lives to protect the public every day’.

She added: 'It is a disgusting choice of language to use for the title of a TV programme. I find it incredulous that this has passed through checks and balances at an organisation made up of people who at any time have or may need the support and assistance of the police.

‘Our colleagues are working hard and keeping people safe under relentless negative pressure at the moment, insulting our new in service officers is unhelpful.

‘The name of this show is also inflammatory against a landscape of rising threats and violence against officers. We should not be put at further risk for viewing numbers, our officers deserve respect not humiliation for the job they are undertaking.

‘It is actually incredibly dangerous to incite more negativity and misinformation against a public sector service that’s already under so much pressure.’

And the federation’s chief executive Mukund Krishn added: ‘The programme’s title is an insult to our brave and hard-working members. 

‘At a time when the service is fighting to attract and retain officers, ITV’s actions are totally undermining. The federation will be writing to Ofcom and ITV to register its disgust and demanding a change.’

Piglets, which launches on July 20, will star Mark Heap and Sarah Parish as officers in charge of new recruits at a fictional police training college.

A show spokesman said: ‘Piglets is a fictional new comedy about a police training academy and the title is not intended to cause any offence, it's a comedic and endearing play on words to emphasise the innocence and youth of our young trainees.’

It is being produced by Green Wing creator Victoria Pile and written by the same team behind the Channel 4 hospital comedy: Robert Harley, James Henry, Oriane Messina, Fay Rusling and the late Richard Preddy, along with Omar Khan, from ITV’s Comedy Writers Initiative.

The six-part show was inspired by the last government’s plans to recruit 20,000 new police officers, bringing numbers back up to the same level as when the Conservatives first came to power in 2010. Piglet’s premise that such a fast-paced recruitment drive might come at the cost of lowering standards.

The recruits will be played by Callie Cooke, Sam Pote, Sukh Kaur Ojla, Halema Hussain, Abdul Sessay and Jamie Bisping, while Rebecca Humphries plays head of admin Melanie and Ukweli Roach and Ricky Champ are the trainers Mike and Daz.

Published: 10 Jul 2024