Media
Ofcom receives complaints over 'racist' BB
Published Tuesday, Jan 16 2007, 10:16 GMT | By Joanne Oatts
Ofcom is looking into complaints it has received regarding alleged racism in Celebrity Big Brother against Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty.
Over 2000 people have lodged concerns with the regulator, rising from just 200 last night, as viewers feel the 31-year old is being targeted by some housemates because she is Indian.
Fellow contestants Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O'Meara have expressed their dislike of Shetty in the past week, and have made fun of her accent. Before she was evicted last week, Jade's mother Jackiey was vocal about her negative feelings towards the star, and unable to pronounce her name, referred to her as "the Indian."
Channel 4 has put the remarks made during the show down to "girly rivalry" between contestants, but Ofcom has said it is looking into every complaint.
Shilpa's mother, Sunanda Shetty, told the BBC Asian Network: "I hope that she will be able to handle the situation. It is a game and there is a life beyond that. I mean, I understand her emotions but I really hope that she is not going to get too affected by this treatment that is being meted out to her."
Over 2000 people have lodged concerns with the regulator, rising from just 200 last night, as viewers feel the 31-year old is being targeted by some housemates because she is Indian.
Fellow contestants Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O'Meara have expressed their dislike of Shetty in the past week, and have made fun of her accent. Before she was evicted last week, Jade's mother Jackiey was vocal about her negative feelings towards the star, and unable to pronounce her name, referred to her as "the Indian."
Channel 4 has put the remarks made during the show down to "girly rivalry" between contestants, but Ofcom has said it is looking into every complaint.
Shilpa's mother, Sunanda Shetty, told the BBC Asian Network: "I hope that she will be able to handle the situation. It is a game and there is a life beyond that. I mean, I understand her emotions but I really hope that she is not going to get too affected by this treatment that is being meted out to her."
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