'Castaway' star says show was misleading

Castaway star Hassan Kobeissi has accused producers of misleading viewers.

Kobeissi has revealed that security guards helped contestants by catching fish for them, while footage released led viewers to believe that participants were fending for themselves on the island.

"One day I was down by the water getting ready to try and catch some fish when I saw a security guard put some crayfish into a section of water so one of the girls could just reach in and grab it," Hassan told the Daily Star Sunday. "It would look on TV like she had caught it. I told the others and, if you'll pardon the joke, we thought it was fishy.

"Later, when a new girl called Catrin Lye joined, she told me she was frightened about deep diving. Yet, after I'd left the island, I saw a clip of her with a crayfish she was supposed to have caught. They are only found in deep water and there is no way she would have gone diving for it."

Hassan has also complained that bosses tried to manipulate footage of himself and fellow contestant Lucinda King, in an attempt to suggest to viewers that they were romantically involved. He also believes that the show's winner Jonathan Shearer was favoured by producers and featured in the nightly shows more often than the other hopefuls.

The show aired on BBC One and BBC Three from March to May this year, but it failed to set the ratings alight.

A BBC spokesman has thanked Kobeissi for raising his concerns and advised him to contact the BBC complaints department.