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18/01/2007
Sponsor pulls out of Celebrity Big Brother
Carphone Warehouse has pulled the plug on sponsorship for the troubled programme Celebrity Big Brother.
The sponsorship deal for the Channel 4 programme, which has been at the centre of allegedly racist comments made by contestants, was reported to be in the region of £3 million.
The high-street phone retail chain's Chief Executive Charles Dunstone declared that some of the contestants' behaviour was "entirely at odds with the brand values of The Carphone Warehouse."
The behaviour of the contestants towards Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty had provoked a record 30,000 complaints, many directed to television regulator Ofcom.
Channel 4 Chief Executive Andy Duncan said the programme had "touched a real nerve."
"We have been monitoring extremely carefully events in the house and have reached the view that we cannot with certainty say that the comments directed at Shilpa have been racially motivated or whether they stem from broader cultural and social differences," he said.
Mr Duncan added: "We have already intervened with Danielle and, as viewers will see tonight, again with Jade where we felt their comments might be construed to have racist overtones."
Mr Duncan said that the programmes producers had spoken to Shilpa Shetty who told them that she did not feel that behaviour towards her was racist.
He said: "We will not hesitate to intervene again if apparently racist behaviour occurs."
Hertfordshire police are understood to be studying tapes from the programme over the allegations of racist abuse.
The viewing figures for the programme have surged following the furore with 5.7 million watching up from a previous 2.7 million.
(SP/EF)
The sponsorship deal for the Channel 4 programme, which has been at the centre of allegedly racist comments made by contestants, was reported to be in the region of £3 million.
The high-street phone retail chain's Chief Executive Charles Dunstone declared that some of the contestants' behaviour was "entirely at odds with the brand values of The Carphone Warehouse."
The behaviour of the contestants towards Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty had provoked a record 30,000 complaints, many directed to television regulator Ofcom.
Channel 4 Chief Executive Andy Duncan said the programme had "touched a real nerve."
"We have been monitoring extremely carefully events in the house and have reached the view that we cannot with certainty say that the comments directed at Shilpa have been racially motivated or whether they stem from broader cultural and social differences," he said.
Mr Duncan added: "We have already intervened with Danielle and, as viewers will see tonight, again with Jade where we felt their comments might be construed to have racist overtones."
Mr Duncan said that the programmes producers had spoken to Shilpa Shetty who told them that she did not feel that behaviour towards her was racist.
He said: "We will not hesitate to intervene again if apparently racist behaviour occurs."
Hertfordshire police are understood to be studying tapes from the programme over the allegations of racist abuse.
The viewing figures for the programme have surged following the furore with 5.7 million watching up from a previous 2.7 million.
(SP/EF)
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03 March 2006
Plans to tackle racist bullying in schools
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20 January 2004
Measures to tackle anti-social behaviour come into force
The "single biggest package" of measures to tackle anti-social behaviour comes into force today, the Home Office has confirmed. Home Secretary David Blunkett said that it would give people "new tools in their fight against neighbours from hell", intimidating groups on their streets and potentially lethal firearms.
Measures to tackle anti-social behaviour come into force
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