RSA Insurance : Programmes of mass distraction

15% of Britons cause accidental damage to their home as a result of getting distracted when watching TV

• New study from MORE TH>N Insurance reveals trend of gripping TV attributing to emergency incidents in the home - including fires and flooding
• 15% of people have caused accidental damage to their home as a result of getting distracted by a TV programme, with resulting cost of damage caused across the UK exceeding £20 million
• Breaking Bad tops the list as 'most dangerous show' in terms of number of incidents caused, with Games of Thrones and X Factor rounding off the top three

They say we are living in a golden age of television, with the endless stream of gripping Netflix, HBO and BBC dramas meaning our eyes spend more time glued to our TV screens than ever before. We are currently so enthralled by our favourite shows in fact, they could quite easily cause us to forget about the bath tap we left running, or the frying pan that's been left on the stove.

This is certainly the case for two thirds (67%) of Britons who admit to getting distracted from the real-world when watching TV, with almost half (45%) even neglecting a domestic task because they are so absorbed in a programme, according to a new study by MORE TH>N Insurance.

While you might expect these to be confined to smaller tasks, such as forgetting to turn the iron off or leaving the washing out on the line, the study reveals the alarming regularity of more serious incidents occurring, with 15% confessing to have caused accidental damage to their home as a direct result of getting distracted when watching TV, equivalent to four million households across the UK.

So what TV programmes do Britons need to be most wary of when they settle down for an episode?

Breaking Bad tops the list of 'most dangerous shows', with Walter White's exploits causing a fifth (19%) of all reported emergency incidents in British households. The study found the average cost of damage per Heisenberg-induced case was as high as £466.81, with burning food in the oven (48%), kitchen flooding (17%) and pans fires (13%) the most common misfortunes stemming from the gripping drama.

The results make equally stark reading for Game of Thrones lovers, with the popular HBO series in second with a 15% share of recorded incidents and a mean 'cost of damage' per case coming in at £252 for those overly caught up in the world of Westeros. Burning food in the oven again proved to be the most common pitfall, accounting for 43% of calamities, ahead of flooded bathrooms (21%) and smoke fires in the kitchen (11%).

Viewers of X Factor meanwhile would appear to be taking more interest in Judge's Houses than their own, as the talent show finished third in the rankings, accounting for 14% of recorded cases, at an average cost of £581 per incident for unlucky fans of the series.

The Top 10 list can be seen in full below:

The total cost of damage caused because of these mishaps was found to be a whopping £20,150,268 across the UK - with flooding incidents (36%), burning food in the oven (33%) and pan fires (14%) topping the list of most common TV-induced accidents.

The survey results support the notion of Britain being a truly TV-obsessed nation, with a quarter (26%) of people admitting to have binge watched a show for over five hours in one sitting. Other things Brits are guilty of doing while absorbed in a programme includes ignoring the phone (30%), leaving clothes in the washing machine (21%), oversleeping the following day (12%) and tripping while rushing back to the TV set after an ad break (9%).

Graham Nicholls, head of home insurance at MORE TH>N, said: 'While it is certainly great to have so much exciting TV on offer, our research reveals the possible risks these enthralling shows pose to your home, which could potentially have costly ramifications if you allow yourself to get overly distracted from everything that's happening around you when watching.

'Our 'most dangerous shows' ranking is a fun way to raise awareness around the issue, encouraging people to take extra care around the home and help them avoid acquiring a hefty bill when the Bake-Off Final gets to be too much.'

-ENDS-