01 December 2023 , 18:11
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The BBC has been forced to cancel an upcoming episode of Christmas University Challenge following two contestants highlighting a lack of provisions for their disabilities.
One contestant, who is blind, described the experience on the BBC show as "distressing" when speaking with BBC News. The second contestant that complained about the lack of accommodations reportedly had their request to have subtitles turned down.
The BBC confirmed the episode will not make it to air due to the two contestants feeling "their access requirements were not sufficiently met by the production" and added that "individuals and teams concerned" have received an apology following the incident.
BBC News reports one contestant, who is blind, had been promised audio description ahead of filming the now-scrapped festive episode but it didn't materialise. A second contestant, who is neurodivergent, is understood to have had their request for subtitles turned down. It's reported both contestants flagged their disabilities and access requirements ahead of filming.
Jeremy Paxman hosted University Challenge from 1994 to 2023 and its Christmas spin-off from 2011 to 2022 (BBC / ITV Studios / Rachel Joseph)
Amol Rajan took over as the host of the BBC show earlier this year (BBC/Lifted Entertainment, Part of ITV Studios/Ric Lowe)Christmas University Challenge, a festive spin-off from the BBC Two quiz show, features teams of distinguished alumni who compete on behalf of their former universities and is hosted by Amol Rajan. The production company behind the BBC show is Lifted Entertainment, which is part of ITV studios.
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"One minute before the show, we were told there was no audio description and that your captain will instead have to explain everything," on of the affected contestants has told BBC News, going on the describe the experience as "distressing". The second contestant added the experience was "overwhelming and overstimulating", and that it impacted their ability to function for a week afterwards.
BBC News reports the two contestants got in contact with the BBC to complain following the episode being filmed and requested the episode not to be broadcasted. It was confirmed on Friday [1 December] that the episode will not make it to air and have been pulled from the schedule. Both contestants say the decision was "greatly appreciated" and have offered their help to make University Challenge more inclusive.
A BBC spokesperson confirmed the decision and told the Mirror on Friday: "We can confirm that an episode in the upcoming series of Alumni University Challenge will not be broadcast because two of the contestants felt their access requirements were not sufficiently met by the production.
"We are working closely with producers to improve cross industry access on our programmes to ensure a consistent approach is implemented. We would like to apologise to the individuals and teams concerned, and they have been written to personally by the producers."
A spokesperson for Lifted Entertainment added: "During the pre-filming briefing for this episode, two contestants requested that certain adjustments be made in order for them to be able to fully participate. However, following the recording, we were made aware that the adjustments made fell short of their requirements.
"We have spoken to the individuals involved and offered our sincere apologies. Having listened very carefully to their descriptions of their experiences, we agreed with the BBC that the fairest course of action was not to screen this particular edition."