LONDON — U.K. media regulator Ofcom on Tuesday said it has been swamped with complaints from viewers of Channel 4’s “Celebrity Big Brother,” alleging racist behavior against one of the show’s participants.
The media regulator said it has received more than 10,000 complaints to date, with the tally still growing. “They are coming in a continuous stream, with many coming in via e-mail,” an Ofcom spokeswoman said.
A spokesman for the show said Channel 4 will take the complaints “very seriously.”
Viewers have complained about a campaign of bullying against Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty by some of the fellow contestants, who have been unable to pronounce her name, questioned her personal hygiene, made fun of her accent and referred to her as “the Indian.”
The Endemol-produced show puts a group of celebrities in a house where they are filmed 24 hours a day and face weekly evictions.
Three of the housemates in the current series have walked out of the house after complaining that they had been asked to perform tasks they considered menial and a further two have been evicted.
