Housemate Ali was seen wearing a watermelon design that was in the shape of a map of Israel, which is understood to be linked to anti-Israel views.
The symbol shown prompted claims for edits from some viewers, suggesting ITV was allowing ‘genocidal’ views to be shared on Big Brother.
Big Brother edits and removes the controversial watermelon T-shirt from show
The t-shirt saw the Campaign Against Antisemitism complain to TV regular Ofcom sharing: “How is this becoming the norm?”
🚨 | Last nights episodes of Big Brother and Late & Live are now reappearing on ITVX…
They have edited out Ali’s Pro-Palestine watermelon t-shirt, which was reported to ofcom by @/antisemitism… #BBUK
Before: After: pic.twitter.com/redkahzTqG
— sᴜᴘᴇʀ ᴛᴠ (@superTV247) October 23, 2024
The organisation added: “This graphic has caused significant distress among the British Jewish community, who regard it as a genocidal message similar to the slogan ‘From the River to the Sea’, which calls for the elimination of the world’s only Jewish state.
“How did the show’s staff allow this shirt to be worn, let alone broadcast it on national television?
“This incident represents a serious violation of broadcasting standards.”
After the complaint was made, the episode of Big Brother was pulled from ITV’s streaming service ITX, edited and re-uploaded.
The edit from ITV saw Ali’s T-shirt no longer have a watermelon but just a plain black design.
The change from ITV saw many viewers take to X, formerly Twitter, as some disagreed with the choice.
One Big Brother viewer said: “I am so close to stopping watching Big Brother after they removed Ali’s watermelon from her shirt.”
Others described it as “Tone deaf” and another added that they plan to report the edit to Ofcom.
Those who agreed with the decision to remove the t-shirt said: “This is harmful, and she needs to go.”
A spokesperson for Big Brother commented on the topic: “All Housemate items are checked by our production team before they go into the Big Brother House to ensure they comply with the Rules and compliance requirements.
“Big Brother does not allow any personal items into the House that could be deemed harmful. We regret that the implications of this particular item of clothing were not fully understood in our bag checks or prior to broadcast of last night’s show.
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“We apologise to any viewers who have been offended by the broadcast and assure viewers that Big Brother was unaware of the implications of the image.
“The item of clothing has been removed from the House. The Housemate has been spoken to and they have expressed that they are unaware of the implications and did not wish to cause any harm or offence.
“Any offensive messaging associated with the image does not reflect the values or beliefs of Big Brother.”
