TV licence officers faced death threats and were attacked with weapons as assaults on them more than doubled last year.
One officer was threatened with a hammer and others had TVs thrown at them, TV Licensing said.
The number of officers went facing physical assaults went up to 89 in the last financial year, compared with 37 in the previous 12 months. A further 360 officers were threatened and verbally abused.
TV Licensing said many officers have had death threats made to them after knocking on doors and some were filmed while being abused - with clips later posted on YouTube.
Some officers have required counselling following attacks.
One officer from Edinburgh said: "I've faced verbal abuse, been filmed, pushed, followed on foot for several hundred yards - shouting abuse in a packed street. I've been followed and chased in a car for several miles."
Regional manager Colin Bright said: "On one occasion, myself and a colleague were involved in a physical attack.
"The abuse does affect your home life, because, in some cases, people are filming your car registration or putting your name online, so it's in the back of your mind that there's a chance you could be approached by a stranger in public."
Colin Jones, TV Licensing field operations director, said: "The threats our officers can receive when they are just trying to carry out their role is completely unacceptable. Those who attack them seem to forget they are human beings.
"They do a great job, remaining professional and courteous in sometimes very challenging circumstances and we do everything we can to support them. This includes reporting serious threats and abuse to the police."
TV Licensing has highlighted the incidents as part of Anti-Bullying Month, and has launched a campaign to tackle the increasing problem.
Additional reporting by the Press Association.
MORE ABOUT