Celebrity Big Brother racism controversy
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The ''Celebrity Big Brother'' racism controversy was a series of events related to incidents of
racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
behaviour by contestants on the fifth series of the British
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
show ''
Celebrity Big Brother ''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...
'', broadcast on British television station
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
in January 2007. The controversy centred on comments made by
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
contestants
Jade Goody Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody (5 June 1981 – 22 March 2009) was an English television personality. She came to public prominence in 2002 when she appeared on the third series of the Channel 4 reality show '' Big Brother''. She went on to s ...
,
Jackiey Budden ''Celebrity Big Brother 2007'', also known as ''Celebrity Big Brother 5'', was the fifth series of the British reality television series ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The show followed a total of fourteen celebrity contestants, known as housemates ...
,
Danielle Lloyd Danielle Lloyd (formerly O'Hara; born 16 December 1983) is an English model and television personality. A former Miss England (2004) and Miss Great Britain (2006), Lloyd first rose to prominence when she was stripped of her Miss Great Britain ti ...
, and
Jo O'Meara Joanne Valda O'Meara (born 29 April 1979) is an English pop singer. She is best known for being a member of pop group S Club 7 between 1999 and 2003. Born and raised in Romford, she launched her career at age 16 working with Max Martin. O'Meara ...
, concerning
Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...
contestant
Shilpa Shetty Shilpa Shetty Kundra (born Ashwini Shetty; Née Shetty; 8 June 1975) is an Indian actress who works mainly in Hindi-language films. Shetty made her screen debut in the thriller ''Baazigar'' (1993) which garnered her nominations for two Filmfare ...
. The screening of these comments on UK television resulted in national and international media coverage, responses from the UK and Indian governments, and the show's suspension during the 2008 season. Many agencies and corporations cancelled their contracts with the housemates accused of racism, citing the allegations as the reason for the terminations. Also, many sponsors of the ''Big Brother'' series cancelled their sponsorship of the show. After the show, Goody stated that she understood her comments appeared as racist and apologised for any offence caused. Shetty later told the media that she forgave Goody. After conducting an investigation,
Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...
ruled that Channel 4 had breached the
Broadcasting Code The Broadcasting Code2017 is a code of practice issued by the Office of Communications (Ofcom) in the UK that requires standards of good conduct for broadcasters. This elaborates on the Communications Act 2003 section 319 and others, on duties of ...
, and statutory sanctions were placed on
the network The Network was an American six-piece new wave band. they released their debut album ''Money Money 2020'' on Adeline Records on September 30, 2003. After a 15-year hiatus, the band became active again in 2020, releasing a follow-up album titl ...
.


Summary of events in ''Celebrity Big Brother 5''

The fifth UK series of ''Celebrity Big Brother'' began on Wednesday 3 January 2007. On the first day, eleven celebrity housemates entered the Big Brother House, including model Danielle Lloyd,
S Club 7 S Club 7 were a British pop group from London, created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller and consisting of members Bradley McIntosh, Hannah Spearritt, Jo O'Meara, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole, Rachel Stevens and Tina Barrett. The group ...
singer Jo O'Meara and
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
actress Shilpa Shetty. Then, on Friday 5, former '' Big Brother'' housemate Jade Goody entered the house, accompanied by her boyfriend
Jack Tweed ''Celebrity Big Brother 2007'', also known as ''Celebrity Big Brother 5'', was the fifth series of the British reality television series ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The show followed a total of fourteen celebrity contestants, known as housemates ...
and her mother
Jackiey Budden ''Celebrity Big Brother 2007'', also known as ''Celebrity Big Brother 5'', was the fifth series of the British reality television series ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The show followed a total of fourteen celebrity contestants, known as housemates ...
. Each day, Channel 4 broadcast a daily "highlights" show, featuring selected events of the previous 24 hours in the House, which itself was repeated the following morning, although offensive language and other potentially objectionable content was removed for pre-watershed broadcasting. During Budden's stay in the house, she and Shetty clashed on numerous occasions. Budden claimed that she was unable to pronounce the name "Shilpa", and referred to Shetty as "Princess" and "the
Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...
". During her eviction interview on Wednesday 10 January, after Budden used the term "the Indian", presenter
Davina McCall Davina Lucy Pascale McCall (born 16 October 1967) is an English television presenter. She was the presenter of the reality show ''Big Brother (UK), Big Brother'' during its run on Channel 4 between 2000 and 2010. She also hosted Channel 4's '' ...
did not question her use of the term – but focussed instead on Budden's failure to pronounce "Shilpa" properly. After Budden's eviction, Goody's boyfriend
Jack Tweed ''Celebrity Big Brother 2007'', also known as ''Celebrity Big Brother 5'', was the fifth series of the British reality television series ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The show followed a total of fourteen celebrity contestants, known as housemates ...
called Shetty a "
cunt ''Cunt'' () is a vulgar word for the vulva or vagina. It is used in a variety of ways, including as a term of disparagement. Reflecting national variations, ''cunt'' can be used as a disparaging and obscene term for a woman in the United Stat ...
", which was
bleeped A bleep censor is the replacement of a profanity or classified information with a beep (sound), beep sound (usually a ) in television and radio. It is mainly used in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong ...
for broadcast, and a
wanker Wanker is slang for "one who wanks ( masturbates)", but is most often used as a general insult. It is a pejorative term of English origin common in Britain and other parts of the English-speaking world (mainly Commonwealth nations), including ...
. The night that
Carole Malone Carole Anne Malone (born 14 October 1954) is an English TV presenter, journalist and broadcaster. Career Malone was born on 14 October 1954 in the mining village of West Allotment, near Newcastle upon Tyne. She started her career as a journali ...
was evicted, Lloyd referred to Shetty as a "dog". The following day, Shetty cooked a chicken meal for her fellow housemates. According to Lloyd and O’Meara, Shetty had undercooked the chicken. When they suggested that chicken may be cooked differently in
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, O'Meara said "That's why they're all thin, because they're sick all the time, because they're ill." Lloyd also mentioned that she did not like Shetty touching her food because she did not "know where her hands have been". The tensions in the house came to a peak on Tuesday 16 January, when an explosive argument between Shetty and Goody erupted, seemingly over Oxo Cubes. During this argument, Goody told Shetty that she was "no fucking princess here", "normal" and needed "a day in the slums", while Shetty told Goody that she needed "
etiquette Etiquette () is the set of norms of personal behaviour in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviours that accord with the conventions and norms observed and practised by a ...
classes" and that her "claim to fame was 'Big Brother''. Lloyd and O'Meara laughed throughout the exchange and, when the argument had abated, Lloyd said: "I think she should fuck off home. ..Does that mean that I need elocution lessons, because she can't understand what I fucking say? She can't even speak English properly anyway." After the argument, Shetty asked fellow housemates if they thought they were "reacting to erlike this because he wasIndian". In a conversation with
Cleo Rocos Cleo Rocos (born 24 July 1962, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a UK-based comedy actress, producer, presenter and businesswoman who starred alongside Kenny Everett on '' The Kenny Everett Television Show''. Early life Rocos was born in Brazil. Her ...
, who contested the idea that the others' motivation was racism, Shetty replied: "It is, I'm telling you." However, in a later Diary Room conversation with Big Brother, she retracted this statement. The next morning, in a conversation with Lloyd, Goody referred to Shetty as "Shilpa
Poppadom A papad is an Indian deep fried dough of black gram bean flour, either fried or cooked with dry heat (flipped over an open flame) until crunchy. Other flours made from lentils, chickpeas, rice, tapioca, millet or potato are also used. ''Papad ...
", a reference to an Indian flatbread, along with a number of other things. Following this exchange, Goody was called to the Diary Room to explain her comment, where she clarified that she had not meant it with racist intent. The following day, Big Brother called Goody back to the Diary Room, where she was informed that: "Big Brother will not tolerate any racist behaviour or anything that could be seen as racist behaviour." Goody then discussed the "poppadom" comment directly with Shetty, amongst other grievances the two had with each other. Finally, Goody apologised to Shetty, and Shetty apologised to Goody. On Friday 19 January, Goody was eliminated from the competition by public vote (receiving 82% of the votes to evict), and left the House. Following O’Meara, Lloyd and Tweed's eventual evictions from the House, Shetty became the winner of the show on Sunday 28 January, with 63% of the public vote.


Response


Viewer complaints

On 15 January, it was reported that media regulator
Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...
was investigating "approximately 200 complaints of racism" received by them. Following the broadcast of Lloyd and O'Meara's conversation about cooking in India, this number increased to 3,500 complaints, with a further 1,000 complaining to Channel 4 directly. By 5pm on Tuesday 16, the complaint figures stood at 10,000 to Ofcom, and 2,000 to Channel 4. On 18 January – the day after the episode that included their argument over Oxo Cubes, Lloyd's subsequent "fuck off home" remark and Shetty voicing her concern about potential racism – the chief executive of Ofcom, Ed Richards, stated that 25,000 complaints had been received, calling it a "UK record". Later that day, Channel 4's chief executive, Andy Duncan, spoke about the events of the series. He said that Channel 4 was "very concerned by the number of complaints and some of the surrounding discussion and complaint", and opined that "the level of complaint and comment shows the programme has touched a real nerve." In addition, directory inquiry service 118 118 received "1,058 angry callers" during Wednesday's broadcast, which was after Shetty's statement was shown. By 20 January, the day after Goody's eviction, the number of complaints stood at 40,000. The final figure was clarified by Ofcom as "just over" 44,500 complaints. As of 2021, this is the British television broadcast with the second highest number of complaints.


Media reaction

The controversy generated over 300 newspaper articles in Britain, 1,200 in English newspapers around the globe, 3,900 foreign language news articles, and 22,000
blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...
postings on the
internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
. British tabloid newspapers were vitriolic towards Goody, Lloyd and O'Meara during their stay in the house – particularly towards Goody. ''
The Daily Mirror ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' ran a front-page editorial entitled "Beauty V Bigot", referring to her as a "racist bully". They later referred to Goody as a "vile racist", and to Lloyd as Goody's "partner-in-crime". In the same print, they misquoted Goody as saying "Go back to the slums" – she actually said "You need a day in the slums". The BBC became the subject of complaints after making the controversy its lead story, on the same day that
Ruth Turner Ruth Dixon Turner (1914 – April 30, 2000) was a pioneering U.S. marine biologist and malacologist. She was the world's expert on Teredinidae or shipworms, a taxonomic family of wood-boring bivalve mollusks which severely damage wooden ma ...
was arrested for her involvement in the
Cash for Honours The Cash-for-Honours scandal (also known as Cash for Peerages, Loans for Lordships, Loans for Honours or Loans for Peerages) was a political scandal in the United Kingdom in 2006 and 2007 concerning the connection between political donations an ...
scandal.


Political reaction in UK and India

Leicester East MP
Keith Vaz Nigel Keith Anthony Standish Vaz (born 26 November 1956) is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicester East for 32 years, from 1987 to 2019. He was the British Parliament's longest-serving Br ...
tabled an
Early Day Motion In the Westminster parliamentary system, an early day motion (EDM) is a Motion (parliamentary procedure), motion, expressed as a single sentence, Table (parliamentary procedure), tabled by Member of Parliament, members of Parliament that formally ...
in Parliament addressing this issue. The controversy coincided with a visit by the
Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...
Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...
to India. When questioned by journalists, he said: "I want Britain to be seen as a country of fairness and tolerance. Anything detracting from this I condemn."
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
refused to comment on the issue as he had not seen the programme, although he did "condemn racism in all its forms." London mayor
Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945) is an English politician who served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the council was abolished in 1986, and as Mayor of London from the creation of the office i ...
stated, "The racism towards Shilpa Shetty on ''Celebrity Big Brother'' is completely unacceptable". He went on to accuse the producers of the programme of selectively editing the show "to broadcast participants' racist comments". Anand Sharma, India's junior minister for external affairs, told journalists that the Indian government would take "appropriate measures" once more information became available, while
Kamal Nath Kamal Nath (born 18 November 1946) is an Indian politician who served as the 18th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for approximately 15 months and resigned after a political crisis. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Le ...
, India's trade minister, reportedly said that ''Celebrity Big Brother'' could lead to a "diplomatic crisis".
Equality and Human Rights Commission The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is a non-departmental public body in Great Britain, established by the Equality Act 2006 with effect from 1 October 2007. The Commission has responsibility for the promotion and enforcement of eq ...
chairman
Trevor Phillips Sir Mark Trevor Phillips (born 31 December 1953) is a British writer, broadcaster and former politician who served as Chair of the London Assembly from 2000 to 2001 and from 2002 to 2003. He presented '' Trevor Phillips on Sunday'', a Sunday ...
stated that Channel 4 must "make clear that they got it wrong, they intervened too little too late". A small protest involving "dozens" of Shetty's fans took place in
Patna Patna ( ), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...
, eastern India, during which straw
effigies An effigy is an often life-size sculptural representation of a specific person, or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certai ...
of ''Big Brother'' producers were burned.
Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi (''Prio Rônjon Dashmunshi''; 13 November 1945 – 20 November 2017) was an Indian National Congress politician, former Union Minister and a member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India. He represented the Raiganj (Lok Sabha cons ...
, India's information and broadcasting minister, opined that Shetty should appear before the Indian high commission in London when she left the house, stating: "If there has been some racism shown against her in the show, it is not only an attack on women but also on the skin and the country." The India Tourism Office placed an "open letter" to Goody as advertisements in several national newspapers, inviting her to "experience the healing nature of India".


Sponsor and corporate backlash

On 18 January,
The Carphone Warehouse The Carphone Warehouse Limited was a mobile phone retailer based in London, United Kingdom. In August 2014 the company became a subsidiary of Currys plc (previously named "Dixons Carphone"), which was formed by the merger of its former parent Ca ...
suspended its sponsorship of ''Celebrity Big Brother'' with immediate effect over the alleged racism, before permanently ending its contract with Channel 4 altogether. Speaking about the suspension, the company's chief executive,
Charles Dunstone Sir Charles William Dunstone (born 21 November 1964) is the British co-founder and former chairman of mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse, former chairman of multinational electrical and telecommunications retailer and services company Dix ...
, stated:
Our concern has rapidly mounted about the broadcast behaviour of individuals within the ''Big Brother'' house. We are totally against all forms of racism and bullying and indeed this behaviour is entirely at odds with the brand values of the Carphone Warehouse. As a result we feel that as long as this continues we are unable to associate our brand with the programme. We had already made it clear to Channel 4 that were this to continue, we would have to consider our position. Nothing we saw last night gave us any comfort. Accordingly we have instructed Channel 4 to remove our sponsorship name and branding with immediate effect.
Other sponsors of the show, including Beauty-boxes.com, Zamya,
United Biscuits United Biscuits (UB) is a British multinational food manufacturer, makers of McVitie's biscuits, Jacob's Cream Crackers, and Twiglets. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. In Nove ...
,
Cobra Beer Cobra Beer is a beer brand manufactured in the United Kingdom and India. The group's primary product is a premium beer with an alcohol strength of 4.5% by volume (originally 4.8%). The beer was founded in 1989 by Karan Bilimoria and Arjun Reddy. ...
,
Cow & Gate Cow & Gate was a United Kingdom based dairy products company, which expanded into milk bottling, distribution, and baby food production. It merged in 1959 with United Dairies to form Unigate plc, which today is known as Uniq plc. The Cow & Gate br ...
and
Moneysupermarket.com Moneysupermarket.com Group PLC is a British price comparison website-based business specialising in financial services. The website enables consumers to compare prices on a range of products, including energy, car insurance, home insurance, tr ...
withdrew sponsorship from the programme. Vanni Treves, Channel 4's former chairman, urged Channel 4 to cancel the show, while
Hertsmere Borough Council Hertsmere is a local government district and borough in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Borehamwood. Other settlements in the borough include Bushey, Elstree, Radlett and Potters Bar. The borough borders the three north London ...
, the owners of ''Big Brothers studios in
Borehamwood Borehamwood (, historically also Boreham Wood) is a town in southern Hertfordshire, England, from Charing Cross. Borehamwood has a population of 31,074, and is within the London commuter belt. The town's film and TV studios are commonly known ...
, threatened to refuse permission to film. Fragrance chain
The Perfume Shop The Perfume Shop is a United Kingdom perfume retailer founded in 1992 and owned by A.S. Watson (Health & Beauty UK) Ltd, which is part of the A.S. Watson Group. The A.S. Watson Group acquired The Perfume Shop in 2005. The company is based in H ...
,
pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...
chain
Boots A boot is a type of footwear. Boot or Boots may also refer to: Businesses * Boot Inn, Chester, Cheshire, England * Boots (company), a high-street pharmacy chain and manufacturer of pharmaceuticals in the United Kingdom * The Boot, Cromer Stre ...
, and
Debenhams Debenhams plc was a British department store chain operating in the United Kingdom, Denmark and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1778 as a single store in London and grew to 178 locations across those countries, also owning the Danish ...
department stores withdrew
Jade Goody Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody (5 June 1981 – 22 March 2009) was an English television personality. She came to public prominence in 2002 when she appeared on the third series of the Channel 4 reality show '' Big Brother''. She went on to s ...
's brand of
perfume Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...
, ''Shh...'', from their stores.
HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...
cancelled plans to publish the paperback version of Jade Goody's autobiography. The book, titled ''Jade: My Autobiography'' was published in hardback in May 2006, and had been scheduled to be released in paperback on 5 February 2007. Act Against Bullying, a charity supported by Goody, dropped all mention of her from their website citing the racism allegations as the cause.
Motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...
company Bennetts also terminated its six-figure agreement with Danielle to be the official model for their company, citing the racism allegations for this termination.


Response by Channel 4

On 16 January, after thousands of complaints had been received, Channel 4 issued the following statement:
Matters of bullying or racial abuse in any form are taken extremely seriously by Channel 4 and
Endemol Endemol B.V. was a Dutch-based media company that produced and distributed multiplatform entertainment content. The company annually produced more than 15,000 hours of programming across scripted and non-scripted genres, including drama, reality ...
. The nature of the show often includes incidents where conflicts arise and housemates are encouraged to resolve issues among themselves. Housemates are closely monitored at all times to ensure they have the appropriate support inside the house which includes being able to talk in confidence to producers. Shilpa herself has not voiced any concerns of racial slurs or bullying against her. Appropriate measures to reprimand individual behaviour would take place where necessary.
In spite of this, complaints figures continued to rise, leading the network to issue another statement the following day. They denied that any "overt racial abuse or racist behaviour" had occurred, but acknowledged that a "cultural and
class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...
clash between hettyand three of the British females" had. It is typical on ''Big Brother'' that live evictions are attended by a large crowd gathered outside the House and, following their interview with
Davina McCall Davina Lucy Pascale McCall (born 16 October 1967) is an English television presenter. She was the presenter of the reality show ''Big Brother (UK), Big Brother'' during its run on Channel 4 between 2000 and 2010. She also hosted Channel 4's '' ...
, evicted housemates then attend a press conference. Channel 4 announced on the afternoon of the eviction that both events had been cancelled, and that all profits from the vote to evict that week would be donated to charity. On 22 January, Channel 4's board of directors held a meeting to discuss the issue. Following the meeting, its chairman issued the following statement:
Clearly many people were worried and offended by what they saw. I want to reassure them that we take the views of our audience very seriously and profoundly regret any offence that may have been caused. On behalf of the board the Chief Executive and I have commissioned a review of the editorial and compliance processes that support Big Brother. The board will receive a full report and seek to identify any lessons that can be learned for the future. The programme remains on air for a further week and the channel is focused on its completion. We are expecting to hear from Ofcom in the near future detailing the nature and number of complaints they have received and requesting a formal response to their questions. Our own review will also help support this process. All board members of Channel 4 abhor racism. We are also committed to ensuring that the channel continues to fulfil its remit to explore important social issues.


Viewership

The launch show of ''Celebrity Big Brother'' (aired on 3 January 2007) averaged 7.1 million viewers, and ratings fell to 3.9 million by 7 January. Ratings quickly rose as media coverage reported alleged racism towards Shilpa from fellow female contestants; the episode which aired on 16 January 2007 saw a ratings boost with the show sharing 18% of the available audience and ratings of 4.5 million viewers. The episode the following night also rose in ratings, with 5.2 million viewers. The ratings once again rose on Jade's eviction night to an average of 7.8 million viewers, and a peak of 8.8 million viewers, which were the highest viewing figures in the history of ''Celebrity Big Brother and second for any ''Big Brother'' show after the '' Big Brother 3'' finale, which landed a record 10 million viewers. The ''Big Brother 3'' final night was the same night that Jade left the house for the first time back in 2002.


Investigation


Police

After Shetty confided in Cleo Rocos that she thought the conflicts within the House could be racially motivated, her words compelled police to investigate whether or not to classify her treatment as '
racial hatred Ethnic hatred, inter-ethnic hatred, racial hatred, or ethnic tension refers to notions and acts of prejudice and hostility towards an ethnic group in varying degrees. There are multiple origins for ethnic hatred and the resulting ethnic conflic ...
' under Part III of the
Public Order Act 1986 The Public Order Act 1986 (c 64) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It creates a number of public order offences. They replace similar common law offences and parts of the Public Order Act 1936. It implements recommendations
. On Thursday 18 January, Hertfordshire Police released the following statement:
Hertfordshire Constabulary is investigating allegations of racist behaviour in the Big Brother house and will be conducting enquiries, including a review of the tapes. We will continue to liaise with Ofcom and with
Endemol Endemol B.V. was a Dutch-based media company that produced and distributed multiplatform entertainment content. The company annually produced more than 15,000 hours of programming across scripted and non-scripted genres, including drama, reality ...
, whom we have strongly encouraged to ensure that any form of behaviour that could raise similar concerns, does not occur. We will continue to closely monitor the situation over the next few days. Hertfordshire Constabulary will not tolerate racism in any form and is taking these allegations seriously. The constabulary has experience of investigating and resolving incidents in the Big Brother house in past seasons.
Police also confirmed they had spoken to Goody and her mother Budden, stating:
An investigation into allegations of racist behaviour inside the Celebrity Big Brother house is continuing. Hertfordshire Constabulary can confirm police will be making approaches to speak to housemates if and when appropriate once they have left the house. We are also making contact with two of the housemates who have already been evicted but at this stage no interviews have taken place.
On 1 February, three days after the series concluded, an anonymous handwritten note was handed to the police, written on the back of a production schedule for an episode of ''
Big Brother's Little Brother This is a complete list of shows about and relating to ''Big Brother UK'' and ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The civilian edition ran from 2000 to 2018 and the celebrity edition ran from 2001 to 2018. ''Big Brother'' ''Big Brother'' was a daily sho ...
'', alleging that footage existed of some housemates singing a "racist song" featuring the word "paki". Channel 4 confirmed that police would require a "
court order A court order is an official proclamation by a judge (or panel of judges) that defines the legal relationships between the parties to a hearing, a trial, an appeal or other court proceedings. Such ruling requires or authorizes the carrying out o ...
" to see unbroadcast footage of the show. Ultimately, it transpired that untransmitted footage did exist, featuring some housemates creating a
limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
about Shetty. The word "paki" was never actually used, but referred to. On 9 March 2007, police stated that no formal charges would be brought against any of the participants of ''Celebrity Big Brother'', stating:
hannel 4declined to co-operate and stated they would contest any application to court ..Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, it was felt that it would not be in the public interest to effect arrests or to pursue footage through the courts. The CPS has concluded that whilst what occurred was clearly offensive, it was not criminal.
The police also confirmed that, without specifying names, they had interviewed four housemates in relation to the controversy, while two others "would not speak to them".


Ofcom

Regulatory authority
Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...
announced its intention to conduct the investigation into the viewer complaints about the series, and continued after the conclusion of the criminal investigation. Channel 4 made its submission to Ofcom in April. Channel 4 was criticised for the announcement and promotion of its eighth series of ''Big Brother'' before the investigation had concluded, with Ofcom stating that it was "aware of the benefits" of announcing its findings before the new series began. Ofcom's Adjudication of Findings was published on 24 May 2007. After examining a large number of events throughout the series, it decided that the broadcast of three events in particular had breached Ofcom's
Broadcasting Code The Broadcasting Code2017 is a code of practice issued by the Office of Communications (Ofcom) in the UK that requires standards of good conduct for broadcasters. This elaborates on the Communications Act 2003 section 319 and others, on duties of ...
: *
Jo O'Meara Joanne Valda O'Meara (born 29 April 1979) is an English pop singer. She is best known for being a member of pop group S Club 7 between 1999 and 2003. Born and raised in Romford, she launched her career at age 16 working with Max Martin. O'Meara ...
and
Danielle Lloyd Danielle Lloyd (formerly O'Hara; born 16 December 1983) is an English model and television personality. A former Miss England (2004) and Miss Great Britain (2006), Lloyd first rose to prominence when she was stripped of her Miss Great Britain ti ...
's remarks about cooking in India * Danielle Lloyd's "Fuck off home" comment *
Jade Goody Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody (5 June 1981 – 22 March 2009) was an English television personality. She came to public prominence in 2002 when she appeared on the third series of the Channel 4 reality show '' Big Brother''. She went on to s ...
's "Shilpa Poppadom" comment It also decided that, while
Jackiey Budden ''Celebrity Big Brother 2007'', also known as ''Celebrity Big Brother 5'', was the fifth series of the British reality television series ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The show followed a total of fourteen celebrity contestants, known as housemates ...
's use of the expression "The Indian" was "deeply offensive", the circumstances and Channel 4's response led Ofcom to consider this matter resolved. Channel Four also confidentially supplied Ofcom with uncensored and untransmitted material from the programme. Firstly, this clarified
Jack Tweed ''Celebrity Big Brother 2007'', also known as ''Celebrity Big Brother 5'', was the fifth series of the British reality television series ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The show followed a total of fourteen celebrity contestants, known as housemates ...
's use of the word "cunt", and not the word "Paki" which had been reported. However, this also revealed conversations that took place between Goody, Lloyd, O'Meara and Tweed on Tuesday 16 January 2007, a few hours after the "Oxo cube" row between Goody and Shetty. In the first conversation, they discussed whether " the P word" had been used by any housemate (which Jack clarified by saying "It rhymes with tacky"). In subsequent conversations, they created limericks which featured the rhyming words "tacky", "happy", "nappy", "crappy", "yappy" and "strappy". These conversations, which were never broadcast, led to Big Brother issuing formal warnings to O'Meara and Tweed in the Diary Room, threatening immediate ejection from the House if their behaviour recurred. Channel Four clarified that
Brighter Pictures Banijay UK Productions (branded as Banijay UK and formerly Endemol Shine UK Ltd) is a British production company. Since 2020, the company has been a subsidiary of Banijay. Banijay UK incorporates a number of production brands, including Artis ...
, the production company that supplies ''Big Brother'' to the channel, had suppressed the footage and logged the material under the heading "racist". However, Ofcom responded that although Channel Four were unaware of the material, it highlighted a significant breakdown in communication between it and the producers, meaning that they were "not in possession of all the relevant facts and as a result, failed to maintain proper control over their programme". As a result of broadcasting the three offending scenes, repeating one of them in early morning syndication and for their failing to be aware of what was happening in the House at a critical time, Ofcom decided to impose an official sanction on the network, directing them to broadcast a statement of their findings three times during the broadcast of '' Big Brother 8''. On the same day as Ofcom published their findings, Channel 4 issued a press statement accepting the verdict, with Chief Executive Andy Duncan stating:
We accept Ofcom's judgement that on the occasions in question we did not ensure that ''Big Brother'' intervened with the necessary promptness or strength. We would like to say sorry once again for the offence caused to viewers as a result. Ofcom did not rule this material should not have been broadcast, but that we should have done more to contextualise it by challenging and reprimanding the offending housemates. We believe the initiatives we have announced will help prevent a repeat of the public offence caused by the programme.


Aftermath


Channel 4 and ''Big Brother''

In addition to Ofcom's investigation of the series, Channel 4 also commissioned its own internal review of the events of the series. It concluded that: " ..great offence was caused by the broadcast of several comments made by housemates, irrespective of their motivation. Channel 4 appeared to be somehow condoning the behaviour of some of the housemates because interventions were felt to be too late or insufficiently forceful." Subsequently, the network agreed to change and improve their compliance systems, introduce an "additional editorial perspective", "acknowledge and contribute to public debate provoked by its programmes" and update the ''Big Brother'' rules. However, the review also commented on what it described as the "hostile" media coverage of the programme, and denied that Channel 4 had "deliberately engineered" tension in the House between Shetty and her housemates. Nine days into the eighth series of ''Big Brother'', and exactly two weeks after Ofcom and Channel 4's separate findings were published, contestant Emily Parr was removed from the ''Big Brother'' House following her use of the term "
nigger In the English language, the word ''nigger'' is an ethnic slur used against black people, especially African Americans. Starting in the late 1990s, references to ''nigger'' have been progressively replaced by the euphemism , notably in cases ...
" during a conversation with another housemate. Subsequently, Channel 4 was praised by several sources. ''Celebrity Big Brother'' did not air in 2008, after Channel 4 decided to "rest" the format. It was replaced by '' Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack'', before ''Celebrity Big Brother'' returned in January 2009. The contestants were spoken to "in detail" about the controversy, and how to avoid a repeat incident. On 26 August 2009, just before the conclusion of the tenth series of ''Big Brother'', Channel 4 announced that it would not be renewing its contract with
Endemol Endemol B.V. was a Dutch-based media company that produced and distributed multiplatform entertainment content. The company annually produced more than 15,000 hours of programming across scripted and non-scripted genres, including drama, reality ...
to screen ''Big Brother'' after its end in 2010. The rights were bought by Channel 5, who broadcast the program for seven years before deciding not to renew their contract with Endemol in 2018. Since the controversy, and following the removal of Parr in the eighth series, ''Big Brother'' has continued to have a zero-tolerance policy on the use of any potentially offensive or discriminatory language – either on the programme or in public before it – resulting in the removal of several Housemates. These have included Ken Morley, Christopher Biggins, Rodrigo Alves,
Tila Tequila Nguyễn Thị Thiên Thanh (born October 24, 1981), better known by her stage names Tila Tequila, Tila Nguyen, Miss Tila and Tornado Thien, is an American television and social media personality. She first gained recognition for her active p ...
,
Andrew Tate Emory Andrew Tate III (born December 1, 1986) is an American-British social media personality, businessman and a former professional kickboxer. Following his kickboxing career, he began offering paid courses and memberships through his websit ...
and Ellis Hillon..


Contestants

After she was evicted from the House,
Jade Goody Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody (5 June 1981 – 22 March 2009) was an English television personality. She came to public prominence in 2002 when she appeared on the third series of the Channel 4 reality show '' Big Brother''. She went on to s ...
made several appearances in the media, such as an interview with
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national Tabloid journalism#Red tops, red top Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling En ...
, and appearances on ''
Big Brother's Little Brother This is a complete list of shows about and relating to ''Big Brother UK'' and ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The civilian edition ran from 2000 to 2018 and the celebrity edition ran from 2001 to 2018. ''Big Brother'' ''Big Brother'' was a daily sho ...
'' and ''
The Wright Stuff ''The Wright Stuff'' is a British television chat show which was hosted by former tabloid journalist Matthew Wright from 2000 until 2018. It aired on Channel 5 on weekday mornings from 9:15 to 11:15am. The series characterised itself as "Br ...
'', during which she apologised profusely for her behaviour on the programme, and confirmed that her fee for appearing on ''Celebrity Big Brother'' was being donated to charity. She maintained that she was not racist, but understood how her comments could have been interpreted as such. On 29 January, she was admitted to
Priory Hospital The Priory Hospital, Roehampton, often referred to as The Priory, is a private mental health hospital in South West London. It was founded in 1872 and is now part of the Priory Group, which was acquired in 2011 by an American private equity firm, ...
for issues relating to
mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...
. She made few public appearances over the course of 2007. In 2008, she was offered a place on the second series of
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
's version of ''Big Brother'', entitled ''
Bigg Boss ''Bigg Boss'' is an Indian reality television game show franchise based on the Dutch reality show '' Big Brother''. It is produced by Endemol Shine India through Viacom18 and Disney Star. Subsequently, the various versions of the show are made ...
'', which she accepted. The series was presented by her former housemate, and subject of the racism controversy,
Shilpa Shetty Shilpa Shetty Kundra (born Ashwini Shetty; Née Shetty; 8 June 1975) is an Indian actress who works mainly in Hindi-language films. Shetty made her screen debut in the thriller ''Baazigar'' (1993) which garnered her nominations for two Filmfare ...
, and the two were reunited on the launch night of the show. Two days into the series, Goody was forced to leave the Bigg Boss House, after receiving a call from her doctor indicating that she had been diagnosed with
cervical cancer Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix. It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Early on, typically no symptoms are seen. Later symptoms may include abnormal ...
. She released her second and final autobiography in September 2008, entitled ''Catch A Falling Star''. Her condition continued to worsen over the next few months and, in February 2009, she was informed that her cancer was terminal. She died on 22 March 2009.
Jo O'Meara Joanne Valda O'Meara (born 29 April 1979) is an English pop singer. She is best known for being a member of pop group S Club 7 between 1999 and 2003. Born and raised in Romford, she launched her career at age 16 working with Max Martin. O'Meara ...
, like Goody, was treated for mental health issues after she left the House. She gave an interview in which she described
suicidal thoughts Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
. In a statement on 1 February, she apologised for her behaviour, and also discussed her introduction into the house, her eviction, her interview with
Davina McCall Davina Lucy Pascale McCall (born 16 October 1967) is an English television presenter. She was the presenter of the reality show ''Big Brother (UK), Big Brother'' during its run on Channel 4 between 2000 and 2010. She also hosted Channel 4's '' ...
and the
death threats A death threat is a threat, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or group of people. These threats are often designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behaviour, in which case a deat ...
she had received. A year later, she gave birth to a son. In 2015, she took part in an
S Club 7 S Club 7 were a British pop group from London, created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller and consisting of members Bradley McIntosh, Hannah Spearritt, Jo O'Meara, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole, Rachel Stevens and Tina Barrett. The group ...
reunion, and continues to work in
animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...
activism Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in Social change, social, Political campaign, political, economic or Natural environment, environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes i ...
.
Danielle Lloyd Danielle Lloyd (formerly O'Hara; born 16 December 1983) is an English model and television personality. A former Miss England (2004) and Miss Great Britain (2006), Lloyd first rose to prominence when she was stripped of her Miss Great Britain ti ...
faced less hostility upon her eviction from the House, and continued to be a prominent figure in the media over the course of 2007 and 2008. In May 2007, she threatened to sue
Endemol Endemol B.V. was a Dutch-based media company that produced and distributed multiplatform entertainment content. The company annually produced more than 15,000 hours of programming across scripted and non-scripted genres, including drama, reality ...
for unfair editing, and to make her own complaint to Ofcom. In 2017, Lloyd addressed the controversy in an episode of ''
In Therapy In Therapy may refer to: *'' BeTipul'' (''In Therapy''), a 2005 Israeli drama television series ** ''In Therapy'' (French TV series), a 2021 French remake of the Israeli TV series **''En thérapie'', a 2012 French Canadian drama remake of the Israe ...
''.
Shilpa Shetty Shilpa Shetty Kundra (born Ashwini Shetty; Née Shetty; 8 June 1975) is an Indian actress who works mainly in Hindi-language films. Shetty made her screen debut in the thriller ''Baazigar'' (1993) which garnered her nominations for two Filmfare ...
, during her interview with McCall after being announced as the winner of the show, said:
"Things happen, people make mistakes and we all learn from them. But I can say one thing for sure. Jade didn't mean to be racist. She isn't a racist. I really don't want to leave England putting anyone in trouble. This country has given me so much. I just want to thank all of Great Britain for giving me this fantastic opportunity to make my country proud."
In May 2007, her next film, entitled '' Life in A... Metro'' became the first Bollywood film to premiere in
Leicester Square Leicester Square ( ) is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leicester House, itself named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester ...
. A year later, following Goody's brief appearance on ''Bigg Boss'', Shetty announced that she had forgiven her. She married
Raj Kundra Raj Kundra is a British-Indian businessman, who was ranked as the 198th richest British Asian by Success. His father, Bal Krishan Kundra was a middle-class businessman and his mother Usha Rani Kundra was a shop assistant when he was a child. ...
in 2009. Shetty went on to judge the reality show ''
Nach Baliye ''Nach Baliye'' () is an Indian Hindi-language celebrity dance reality television series that airs on Star Plus. Production Concept The show is a competition wherein 10 television celebrity couples compete against each other. Contestants dance ...
'' in 2012.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Celebrity Big Brother racism controversy 2007 controversies 2007 in British television Anti-Indian sentiment Big Brother (British TV series) Bullying in television Discrimination in the United Kingdom Racism in the United Kingdom Race-related controversies in television Scandals in the United Kingdom Television controversies in the United Kingdom January 2007 events in the United Kingdom