Channel 4 has appointed NRI human rights lawyer Rabinder Singh QC to join its review of the reality show Big Brother.
LONDON: Channel 4 has appointed NRI human rights lawyer Rabinder Singh QC to join its review of the reality show Big Brother, which came under flak after Jade Goody and other housemates were accused of racist bullying of Indian actress Shilpa Shetty.
Rabinder Singh, a barrister at Matrix Chambers, which he co-founded with the Prime Minister’s wife Cherie Blair, will sit as the independent member on a three-strong panel commissioned in the wake of the race row that erupted last week. He will be joined on the review panel by Channel 4 group finance director Anne Bulford and non-executive director Tony Hall, chief executive of the Royal Opera House and a former chief executive of BBC News.
“I hope to be able to offer a robust and independent perspective to the process,” said Singh. In 2003, he became the first High Court Judge to wear a turban instead of a wig. He has experience in advocacy at all levels, from the Employment Tribunal to the House of Lords, the Privy Council, the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human rights. He has experience of public enquiries as well as court work.
Channel 4’s chairman Luke Johnson and chief executive Andy Duncanboard commissioned a review of the “editorial and compliance processes” of Big Brother following the outcry against racial abuses.
There was even demand for axing the show.
“Andy and I are delighted Rabinder has agreed to assist the channel in its review,” said Johnson. “He is hugely respected in his field and demonstrably independent from Channel 4. I believe his help and expertise will be invaluable,” he added. Media watchdog Ofcom has received more than 40,000 complaints about Celebrity Big Brother. Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty is now odds-on favourite to win the show, which concludes on Sunday.
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