To the Channel 5 Executive Team and Programming Directors
We are writing to express our absolute outrage and profound distress regarding the third episode of Alexander Armstrong in India, broadcast on Channel 5 on Thursday, 22nd October 2026.
Tonight’s segment on Bengaluru crossed the line from a travelogue into a malicious, highly weaponised attack on the Hindu faith and its community. As viewers, we are deeply hurt by how a light-entertainment show chose to aggressively target, sensationalise, and vilify Hindu culture and traditions using extreme, unnuanced exaggeration and outdated, hostile tropes.
The British Hindu community is deeply insulted by this broadcast for the following reasons:
• Direct Attack on our Faith: The programme reduced an incredibly complex, centuries-old social history into a crude, shocking “dark taboo” spectacle designed solely to generate cheap television drama at the expense of stigmatising an entire religion.
• Malicious and Dangerous Exaggeration: By completely ignoring the vast legal protections, aggressive social reforms, and immense constitutional safeguards active in modern India, the programme painted a malicious, entirely one-sided picture that does not reflect modern reality.
• Complete Lack of Respect or Balance: Filtering a deeply sensitive topic entirely through a non-expert celebrity presenter—without giving a fair, objective voice to local experts or the community itself—is irresponsible broadcasting that actively incites prejudice against Hindus.
This programme did not inform the UK public; it actively misinformed them while deeply insulting millions of practicing Hindus worldwide.
We demand that Channel 5 issue a formal apology to the Hindu community, review its editorial standards for cultural and religious programming, and pull this offensive episode from your catch-up streaming services immediately.
We expect a formal, detailed response regarding the actions Channel 5 will take to address this severe breach of trust.