UK:Three days ago it was merely the below- par fifth season of a faltering reality TV franchise. But as the storm over the alleged racism of its participants intensified, Channel 4's Celebrity Big Brother show yesterday sparked demonstrations on Indian streets, consternation in prime minister Tony Blair's office, condemnation from chancellor Gordon Brown on a visit to Bangalore and a police investigation.
The show has always courted controversy but has never before been on the verge of sparking an international incident. Yet as the number of complaints from outraged viewers last night topped 22,000, the Indian government spoke out against the programme and the local Hertfordshire police force last night confirmed it would investigate allegations that Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty had been subjected to racist abuse.
India's information and broadcasting minister, Priyaranjan Dasmunsi, appealed to Shetty to appear before the Indian High Commission in London when she came out of the house. "If there has been some racism shown against her in the show, it is not only an attack on women but also on the skin and the country," he said.
Media regulator Ofcom said last night it had received 19,300 complaints, more than double its previous record, while a further 3,000 were made to Channel 4 directly.
Hertfordshire police reversed their position last night and said they would formally investigate 30 complaints.
Channel 4 and production company Endemol executives met yesterday to discuss the row but privately they may be rubbing their hands. Audience figures, which had been slipping, showed Tuesday night's programme was watched by 4.5 million people, an improvement of 1 million on the previous night.
The furore was sparked by a series of incidents centred on a group of contestants led by Jade Goody, who earned millions from her rise to fame on the back of the third series of the non- celebrity version of the show, and including her boyfriend Jack Tweed, model Danielle Lloyd and former S Club 7 singer Jo O'Meara.
Ratings, and voting revenues, are likely to soar further after Goody and Shetty were last night pitted against one another when they received the most nominations to be evicted from the house tomorrow night. In last night's edition Shetty, now favourite to win, again fell out with Goody in a row over stock cubes. Lloyd, talking to Goody later, said Shetty should "f*** off home".
Last night, Channel 4 released a statement insisting that there had been no overt racism and claiming that the clashes were based on class and cultural differences.
In India, the row has managed the rare feat of uniting all Delhi's political parties. Communists, Hindu nationalists and the ruling Congress party have all demanded action be taken to preserve Shetty's dignity. "[ Big Brother] is holding a mirror to British society," Mahesh Bhatt, a leading Bollywood director, said. "It is no aberration. We should thank Channel 4 for revealing the hidden biases of Britain."
Dozens of Shetty's fans took to the streets in the eastern Indian city of Patna to protest against what they said was her humiliation, burning straw effigies of the the show's producers.
In Bangalore, Mr Brown faced journalists quizzing him on the merits of a reality show he claimed not to have seen. " I want Britain to be seen as a country of fairness and tolerance. Anything that detracts from that I condemn," he said. Later Mr Blair's spokesman added: "What clearly is to be regretted and countered is any perception abroad that in any way we tolerate racism in this country."
People in India cannot watch the programme on TV and Channel 4 has blocked the live web stream outside the UK. However, clips have been posted to video-sharing sites such as YouTube. - ( Guardian service )