Racial abuse on BB, again
2007-06-07 13:41
London - A contestant on the latest series
of Big Brother was thrown off the show on Thursday for racially
abusing another housemate, just days after bosses were forced to
apologise for a racist row on the show's celebrity version.
Student Emily Parr, 19, was removed from the house in the
early hours after she was heard to say: "Are you pushing it out,
you nigger?" to black contestant Charley Uchea, 21, Channel 4
said in a statement.
'Comments were careless'
Parr said she did not mean the comment to be offensive and
Uchea said she had not taken it personally but was shocked at
the language used.
Channel 4 said the exchange was not screened live and was
immediately reported to senior production staff who took the
decision to remove Parr from the camera-filled house on the
grounds that she had broken the rules governing behaviour.
Angela Jain, who heads Channel 4's Big Brother commissioning
team, said viewers would agree that the comments were careless
rather than malicious.
"She (Parr) understands why her involvement in Big Brother
has had to come an end and she very much regrets what she said,"
Jain said in a statement.
Actress Shilpa Shetty
Parr had been up for eviction from the house after being
chosen to be one of two housemates who would have to face a
public vote.
The incident comes after this year's Celebrity Big Brother
was overshadowed when eventual winner, Indian actress Shilpa
Shetty, was racially abused by other housemates.
Channel 4 was ordered by the TV regulator Ofcom to issue an
apology for its handling of that row before the eighth series of
the popular reality show kicked off nine days ago.
"In the wake of Celebrity Big Brother, we must consider the
potential offence to viewers regardless of Emily's intentions
and her housemates' response, Jain said.
"The word 'nigger' is clearly racially offensive and there
was no justification for its use. We have removed Emily from the
house to once again make it clear to all housemates and the
viewers at home that such behaviour won't be tolerated."