New Delhi: Britain’s Channel-4 couldn’t have asked for a better PR job.
The channel’s reality show Celebrity Big Brother - which started off as a contest between B-list British celebrities - is now getting ready for some “real” action.
With the audience being served unlimited portions of bickering and bitching after the allegations of racism came to fore, the show has already earned the dubious distinction of being the “most-complained-about” TV programme.
But who cares? Certainly not Channel-4. After all, no publicity is bad publicity and the show goes on, and is certainly going on pretty well.
British media has already dubbed the racism battle between Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty and UK actor Jade Goody as a showdown between “the beauty and the beast”. Now who’s who is anybody’s guess!
Meanwhile, inside Big Brother’s house, action continues.
After Shilpa– the alleged victim of Prime Time racism – went back on her statement, absolving her housemates of racism charges, it was the turn of Jade Goody to “tone down” her slander.
"Kate Moss invited me back to her house for a party, that's my claim to fame. Not Shilpa Derupa. I don't know what her name is, particularly. I don't really care. LIke I said last night it's Shilpa Poppadom or something. It was just, as in, I'll take anything - Shilpa Poppadom. It wasn't anything. If I've offended any Indians out there, I apologise.": Jade Goody
However, she kept her characteristic hot-headed attitude intact and refused to acknowledge Shilpa as Shetty, preferring to call her Poppadum instead!
"Kate Moss invited me back to her house for a party, that's my claim to fame. Not Shilpa Derupa. I don't know what her name is, particularly. I don't really care. Like I said last night it's Shilpa Poppadom or something," she said.
When Big Brother – the voice that commands the show – asked whether her behaviour with Shilpa was justified, Goody said, “It was just, as in, I'll take anything - Shilpa Poppadom. It wasn't anything. If I've offended any Indians out there, I apologise."
So much for strikes, counter-strikes and apologies, looks like Channel-4 will ultimately have the last laugh despite the biggest sponsor pulling out.
The show goes on
Reuters reports that Channel-4 on Thursday made clear it would not stop airing the show. In comments broadcast on Sky News, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said, "I think this is racism being presented as entertainment and I think it's disgusting."
Carphone Warehouse, Europe's biggest mobile phone retailer which paid around £three million ($5.92 million) for a year's sponsorship of this series and another in the summer, said it was pulling out because it did not want to be associated with allegations of racist bullying.
"She should f*** off home. She can't even speak English.": Model Danielle Llyod
But audience figures have soared as a result of the publicity, hitting 5.2 million for Wednesday's highlights programme compared with 3.5 million two days earlier. A spokeswoman said Channel-4 said it would donate profits from the telephone eviction vote to charity.
British newspapers again featured the story on their front pages in early editions on Friday, with the popular tabloid The Sun running the headline: "Evict Face of Hate". In a full-page open letter to Goody in the Independent newspaper, the Indian Tourism Office outlined the ancient and modern delights India had to offer.
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