Iconic ITV detective series gets hit with 'trigger warning' – sparking debate

One episode in particular, Day of the Devil (series seven), has even been placed behind a parental lock due to its storyline involving a violent, devil-worshipping cult.

The episode sees John Thaw's Morse and his sidekick, Det Sgt Robbie Lewis (Kevin Whately), investigate a dangerous fugitive connected to a cult with disturbing beliefs following a prison escape.

The trigger warning has sparked debate online, with some branding it a "woke" overreaction. 

Senior MP Sir Alec Shelbrooke criticised the warning, calling it a sign of "soft-touch Britain" and warning that "we're just going to be laughed at as a country" if it continues.

Episodes throughout the series now include pre-warnings about crime and violence – a decision ITVX hasn't directly commented on, though the platform has previously said that shows with "distressing themes or language" carry appropriate notices as standard.

This isn't the first time a beloved British TV show has been given a trigger warning.

ITVX previously added warnings to Midsomer Murders, alerting viewers to "some violent moments", "crime scene images" and "several references to witchcraft" in its episode titled "The Fisher King". 

In that one particular episode, residents of the fictional town of Causton are left shaken after a supposedly haunted Celtic sword is unearthed during an archaeological dig.

Viewers argued that the trigger label felt out of place for a long-running murder mystery titled Midsomer Murders. 

ITV's Vera also came under fire when a repeat episode opened with a warning, declaring the show "contains scenes from the start that some viewers may find upsetting." 

Fans once again called it unnecessary, given the usual expectations of a series that follows Brenda Blethyn's DCI Stanhope routinely solving murder cases.

The trend isn't limited to crime dramas. The classic ITV soap Crossroads – originally airing between the 1960s and 1980s – was later given warnings for "language and attitudes of its time" upon being streamed on ITVX. 

Actress Fiona Curzon, who played Faye Mansfield between 1975 and 1977, called the warnings "absolutely pathetic" at the time. 

She said: "'I don't think anyone sitting down and watching Crossroads would be shocked by anything. On the contrary I think they would think, 'what is the matter with the people who are issuing these warnings?' The point is we were very moderated in those days.'"