Big Brother sponsors back out, Channel 4 faces financial kickback

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

London, Jan 19: In view of a raging row over alleged racism against Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, UK's Channel 4 is facing a financial backlash as the the Big Brother show sponsors pulled out and complaints from viewers hit a record 39,000.

Carphone Warehouse ordered its name and branding be removed from the show immediately after an escalation of alleged racist bullying of Shilpa Shetty by some of her celebrity housemates.

The mobile phone company O2 also removed its banner advertisement from the Big Brother website.

However, Channel 4 has continued to defend itself. Its Chief Executive Andy Duncan insisted that he was ''not ashamed of what was broadcast, quite the opposite''.

The broadcasting watchdog Ofcom is also under pressure to act.

Ofcom's Chief Executive Ed Richards said the responsibility for immediate action lie with Channel 4, and that any inquiry by Ofcom would take several weeks.

But the Leader of the Commons Jack Straw, attacked his comments.

He said, ''Ofcom, I understand, do have powers to open investigations now whilst the programme is being broadcast instead of having as I think would be risible to wait until after the programme has finished.'' The MP for Leicester East Keith Vaz called for ''an urgent debate on the remit and financing of Channel 4 and the responsibility of broadcasters not to publish racial prejudices.'' Britain's Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell said she is disgusted with ''racism being presented as entertainment''.

She also cautioned that the channel could lose millions in state funding over the row.

Ms Jowell said her personal view was that the alleged racism in ''Celebrity Big Brother'' show had caused ''enormous offence'', but said it was up to channel 4 to judge whether it should make an apology.

The Secretary of State also stressed that she would not be interfering in the regulatory process as Ofcom, the media watchdog, respond to the flood of complaints about the show - now at a record 33,000 and still growing - and rule on whether Channel 4 has breached its programme code.

''My personal view is that this has caused enormous offence not only abroad but to the Indian community here,'' Ms Jowell said before she gave a speech about the BBC licence fee settlement at the oxford media convention.

''I'm disgusted that it has got to this position at all. I think this is racism being presented as entertainment,'' she said.

Asked whether Channel 4 should apologise for the incidents, Ms Jowell said, ''This is a judgment for Channel 4. I don't think that is something they should feel pressured into doing because I, as Secretary of State, have expressed a view.'' The programme's sponsorship deal crumbled after Shilpa Shetty was subjected to a sustained foul-mouthed verbal assault by the reality TV star Jade Goody in a row over a chicken Oxo cube on Wednesday.

Danielle Lloyd, a model, and the singer Jo O'Meara, were seen laughing at Shetty's distress.

Danielle Lloyd has lost a six-figure contract to promote the motorcycle insurance firm Bennetts, which removed all promotional pictures of her from its internet site.

Goody is also suffering financial consequences. The Perfume Store said it had stopped selling the perfume 'Shh...', which is marketed under Goody's name, at its 150 stores. Act Against Bullying, the charity Goody supports, removed her photograph from its website.

Inside the Big Brother house, with the celebrity housemates unaware of the controversy outside, Goody's taunts continued as she referred to Shetty as ''Shilpa Poppadom'' in a conversation with Lloyd.

However, last night the Channel 4 programme producers pulled Goody up, asking her to explain the insult.

Denying racism, Goody said, ''She is Indian, thinking of an Indian name and the only thing I could think of was Indian food.

Wasn't racial at all. It was not to offend any Indian. Everyone knows I don't like her. She don't like me. What I said about her was not meant in a racial way. It's not acceptable if done in that way.

Mine wasn't done in that way.'' In another conversation, Shetty, who had confided to housemate Cleo Rocas that she felt she was picked on because of her race, changed her mind when asked by Big Brother. She said, ''No, I take that back. I don't think that is true. You know, people say things in a fit of anger. I stand corrected. I don't want people to think and feel that way... So even if I said it, I would like you to please clarify and put this as a statement from my side if you can: that I don't feel there was any racial discrimination happening from Jade's end.'' But her reaction did not deter the sponsors. Carphone Warehouse said it had ''suspended'' its sponsorship. Its Chief Executive Charles Dunstone said the company's concern had ''rapidly mounted'' over the behaviour of some on the show and had told Channel 4 it would have to consider its position if such behaviour continued.

UNI

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