- Title: UK: Jade Goody evicted from the Big Brother house.
- Date: 26th January 2007
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) VOX POP SAYING: "Oh yeah I think it's embarrassing but again I think it has been blown out of proportion. What people are not understanding is Jade is ignorant in herself. I don't think she means anything racist by it. But if she has meant it racist then obviously yeah I think it should be taken a bit further than what they are."
- Embargoed: 10th February 2007 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: International Relations,Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
- Reuters ID: LVA7ILPT787925502BOPBWG8MZWP
- Story Text: Jade Goody was evicted from the Big Brother house after the most controversial week in the TV reality show's history. Alleged racist behaviour of Jade and other house mates towards fellow contestant, Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty has sparked an international diplomatic incident involving top level politicians including British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Finance Minister Gordon Brown. British television star Jade Goody, at the centre of an international row over racism and bullying for her treatment of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, was evicted from the "Celebrity Big Brother" show on Friday (January 19).
The 25-year-old was favourite to be kicked out by public vote after being cast as the villain of a show that triggered protests and dominated headlines in Britain and India, prompted a sponsor to pull out and threatens Goody's lucrative career.
Shetty, an A-list Indian star, was called a "dog" on the show. Housemates refused to learn her name, referred to her as "the Indian" and "Poppadom", and model Danielle Lloyd said: "She should fuck off home. She can't even speak English."
Internet chatrooms, news bulletins and newspapers have been abuzz with debate about whether what was said on the show constituted racism and to what extent Goody and her allies in the Big Brother House reflected prejudices in society at large.
Because the house is cut off from the outside world the contestants knew little of the controversy surrounding them, although Big Brother producers did warn Goody on Friday that her remarks may be interpreted as racist.
Although some people think that things have gotten out of hand.
"Oh yeah I think it's embarrassing but again I think it has been blown out of proportion. What people are not understanding is Jade is ignorant in herself. I don't think she means anything racist by it. But if she has meant it racist then obviously yeah I think it should be taken a bit further than what they are," said a British man.
"But it is a bit out of order, taking all Jade's perfume away from the shelves and that," said a young boy who watches the show. "I dunno - but what Jade's doing is out of order too. So it's a bit fair, really."
Shetty herself rowed back from earlier comments suggesting she was a victim of racism.
"I take that back. I don't think that it's true. You know people say things in a fit of anger. And I stand corrected. So, I don't want people to think and feel that I felt that way and I continue to feel that way so even if I said it, I'd like you to please clarify and put this as a statement from my side if you can, that I don't feel that there was any racial discrimination happening from Jane's side," said Shetty in the Diary Room, a place where the contestants can talk to Big Brother in private.
The actress has no idea that she's been making headlines all over the world.
"She would never expect she's so known. She is, I think the biggest thing happening all over the world. And she doesn't know. She won't know how to react when she gets out. She'll be like, 'Where am I?' And I'm sure there'll be like banners being hold up or whatever like 'Shilpa we love you, Shilpa you're a winner.' And she will not know what's happening, she'll be taken aback totally," said Bobby Kahn, Shetty's agent.
Goody and Shetty made their peace before the eviction, sitting together in a large armchair in the Big Brother Diary room.
Goody said: "I've cleared the air with Shilpa, I've taken it upon myself to do that because I said stuff the other day that I didn't actually realise that I'd said and then when Big Brother reiterated it to me I realised that it wasn't a particularly nice thing to have said so I took it upon myself to tell Shilpa what I said and tell tell her that I didn't mean that and to clear the air basically and I feel a lot better that I have.
Shetty added: "I think I said a lot of things and she misunderstood some of them and that erupted that fight. All I want to say is that the air is clear now and that all's well in paradise."
Then a tearful Goody, alone in the room, said: "I don't stand a chance of staying in here on Friday, I'll be going because people think I'm a racist bitch, and I'm not, I'm not at all."
Being one of the biggest characters in the house, Jane's eviction will definitely make an impact.
"If Jade is evicted today, the people will be very happy but I think the show will go down, drastically. Because since Jade has come in the show has changed, the viewership has gone up because the kind of drama - whatever she created in the house. She hyped the show bigtime," said Kahn.
Channel 4, under pressure to limit the fallout, banned crowds gathering outside the house to greet the evictee and cancelled a press conference with Goody. The show has attracted around two million extra viewers since the row erupted.
After being evicted, Goody was shown a video of her behaviour in the house and her rows with Shetty.
She admitted she had been nasty but added: "I am not a racist person but looking at that film I can see why it's had the impact that it's had because I look like a complete and utter nasty, small..... and one of those people that I don't like myself," she said.
"I can't dignify myself in that respect because that video footage of myself is nasty and I'm not going to sit here and try to justify myself and say I didn't mean it. Yes, I said those things and they were nasty but I am not a racist and I've never ever been known as a racist. I don't judge people by the colour of their skin, where they come from or anything." - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None