Anna Richardson says she has been branded 'paedophile' in online abuse

‘People are calling me a paedophile’: Anna Richardson reveals she has been subjected to ‘disgraceful’ slurs and the ‘worst online abuse of her career’ after Naked Education enraged viewers

Anna Richardson has revealed she was branded a ‘paedophile’ as she received the ‘worst online abuse of her career’ after new show Naked Education came under-fire. 

The presenter, 52, detailed the ‘unacceptable’ comments which said her and her fellow presenters should be arrested, on Vicky Pattison’s podcast The Secret To.

The Channel 4 show hosted by Anna, Yinka Bokinni and Dr Alex George attracted over Ofcom 1,200 complaints after it showed nudity to 14 to 16-year-olds with the presenter explaining that ‘every single protocol’ was followed. 

The series brings people from across Britain together to discuss their bodies, addressing topics including body dysmorphia, cosmetic surgery and disabilities.

Speaking to host Vicky, Anna said: ‘I’ve had so much abuse online from Naked Education. I am so shocked.’

Shocking: Anna Richardson, 52, has revealed she was branded a ‘paedophile’ as she received the ‘worst online abuse of her career’ after new show Naked Education came under-fire

Awful: The presenter detailed the ‘unacceptable’ comments which said her and her fellow presenters (Yinka Bokinni and Dr Alex George) should be arrested, on Vicky Pattison’s podcast 

She continued: ‘I’ve personally been subjected to abuse online which I have never had before in my career – and it’s totally unacceptable.

‘The abuse that I’ve been receiving, and also the other presenters and the producers of the show, is that people are calling us paedophiles, that we are paedophiles, that I’m a paedophile, that I should be arrested, that we should all be arrested.

‘I mean absolutely disgraceful.

‘There’s a small strand within the show where Yinka and a doctor are in a classroom sitting with a group of teenagers and they are teaching these teens about the naked human body and we have naked people in there.

‘This has been done with all the checks and balances. It’s been done with the full consent of the parents. Every single health and safety measure and every single protocol has been put in place and followed.

‘For some reason certain people on social media have become hysterical about this moment on Naked Education.

‘What’s interesting to me is that I did a very, very similar show about ten, twelves years ago called the Sex Education show, where we literally went round secondary schools teaching teenagers about sex education using naked adult bodies. Nobody batted an eyelid.’

Naked Education has become one of the most complained about programmes of the year after another explicit episode saw participants take part in a naked bicycle ride. 

Discussion: Speaking to host Vicky, Anna said: ‘I’ve had so much abuse online from Naked Education. I am so shocked’

On screen: The programme has sparked outrage from some and attracted more than 1,200 Ofcom complaints, with Anna stating: ‘This has been done with all the checks and balances’

Some have even called for the show to be banned over fears about the impact of its explicit content on children. 

An earlier episode featured adults stripping naked in front of a live audience of children as young as 14.

The show’s producers claimed the nudity was an effort to show what different bodies look like and reduce insecurity. 

In the most recent episode, two trans men, Lucian and Finlay, discussed their gender journeys and the different stages they were in as they transitioned.

Finlay spoke about his experience of gender dysphoria and getting top and bottom surgery, during which he offered advice to Lucian, who is younger and has decided to undergo top surgery.

Writing in the Spectator, the co-founder of Thoughtful Therapists James Esses hit out at the ‘utter inconsistency’ in the show’s message.

He said: ‘Teaching young people that the answer to accepting oneself is to fundamentally change oneself through irreversible surgery is both utterly inconsistent and dangerously disingenuous.’ 

Viewers also took to the popular parenting site Mumsnet following the show, with one saying that ‘he message is hugely inconsistent and this issues of unnecessary surgery were not looked at in any way.’

However, others have taken to social media to defend the show, hailing it as ‘informative, educational, empathetic, compassionate, and truly groundbreaking’.

With one person saying: ‘Watching Naked Education for the first time. I wish there had been television programmes like this when I was a young person.’ 

Backlash: Some have even called for the show to be banned over fears about the impact of its explicit content on children 

Scenes: An earlier episode featured adults stripping naked in front of a live audience of teenagers in an effort to show what different bodies look like and reduce insecurity 

A Channel 4 spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Naked Education is a balanced body-positive programme that aims to spark conversations and normalise all body types, champion people’s differences and break down the stereotypes that huge numbers of people are exposed to on social media. 

‘All those who took part did so with appropriate consent and background checks, and received support throughout and after filming.

‘A recent episode featured a ground-breaking exchange between two trans men. Channel 4 is proud to give a platform to marginalised voices, and this thought-provoking discussion covered a wide range of topics including gender dysphoria, coming out, gender affirming surgery and being a part of the LGBTQ+ community. 

‘We are immensely thankful to our two contributors for the bravery they have both shown in sharing their stories – we hope audiences find it informative and enlightening.’

Vicky Pattison: The Secret To is available to listen to on Acast and all major podcast platforms. New episodes are released every Thursday. 

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