Big Brother's worst moments - Punchgate to 'life-ruining' race row
Celebrity Big Brother returns to our screens tonight after a six year hiatus.
The last series, back in 2018, proved to be one of the most controversial yet with Emmerdale star Roxanne Pallett wrongly accusing Ryan Thomas of punching her in the chest. The uncomfortable scenes broke Ofcom records at the time with viewers outraged by Roxanne's lies and the treatment of Ryan.
On leaving the house, Roxanne issued a grovelling apology and retreated from the limelight completely while Ryan went on to win the tarnished series.
ITV bosses will be hoping for fireworks when the series returns tonight - with housemates including Kate Middleton's uncle and former This Morning star Fern Britton. Though they will be desperate not to repeat some of the more explosive moments in the reality show's 23 year history.
Here take a look at some of Big Brother's worst moments....
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Roxanne Pallett caused controversy during her Celebrity Big Brother stint, when she accused Ryan Thomas of punching her (PA)In 2007, student Emily Parr - then 19 - was booted out of the Elstree compound in the early hours of the morning for using the 'N word.'
Emily attempted to defend the use of a slur, calling it a 'joke', but was called to the diary room by producers and instructed to leave the house immediately.
The show also received more than 2,000 Ofcom complaints in 2015 over alleged bullying behaviour by Helen Wood towards housemate Brian Belo. The pair - who were both previous winners of the show - returned to the famous house as part of a twist but the move proved highly controversial.
Emily Parr was kicked out of the Big Brother house (WENN)Helen described Brian as 'looking like a murderer and a rapist.' A spokesperson for Big Brother sad at the time: "Ofcom assessed a number of complaints about bullying in Big Brother and has decided they do not raise issues under our rules warranting further investigation. We were satisfied that Channel 5 had broadcast clear and appropriate warnings about the potentially offensive content, and that it intervened in heated exchanges and situations at appropriate times.
"We also took into account audience expectations for this reality format and the fact that the series was broadcast after the watershed."
Former host Davina McCall previously said she knew Jade Goody's life had been 'ruined forever' when she witnessed the horrifying race row that engulfed Celebrity Big Brother in 2007.
Jade became the first reality TV star to earn a million pounds before returning to the Big Brother house for a celebrity version of the show.
Jade Goody launched a vicious attack on Shilpa Shetty during her return to the Big Brother house in 2007 (WENN)But on her second appearance she clashed with Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty and dubbed her ‘Shilpa Poppodom’ and alongside S Club 7’s Jo O’Meara and Danielle Lloyd also bullied the actress, leading to over 50,000 complaints.
Recalling the scenes, Davina said: "I remember thinking 'Oh my God what’s happened?' How it can all turn in a nano second. She’s now become the most hated girl in Britain. It was a bit like knowing you’re about to ruin someone’s life forever, but they don’t know it yet. Ooof.”
Dermot O’Leary, who hosted spin off show Big Brother’s Little Brother, also looks back on the incident with sadness. "It was absolutely insane, the story just got so big so quickly. I remember seeing… guys burning effigies of Jade in India and I thought this s*** has got absolutely out of hand. The incendiary nature of the whole thing made us really quite worried about her... at the same time it would have been remiss of me in my job not to hold her to account. Yeah, it was difficult."
'I tricked my sister into giving her baby a stupid name - she had it coming'
Shilpa was subjected to racism and bullying from her fellow housemates with hosts Dermot O'Leary and Davina McCall sharing their dismay at the scenes (WENN)For many fans of the show, one stand out scene will forever be Kinga Karalczak appearing to get 'intimate' with a wine bottle in front of some of her housemates on the 2005 series.
Speaking of the incident in 2012, the former reality TV star said: "On Big Brother they want you to go crazy so give you loads of alcohol. And drinking makes me behave like a completely different person. So I just put the bottle between my legs, ran into the garden and did it again. I know I didn't even lift up my nightie. I didn't have sex in the pool or in the house, but everyone's labelling me as the slapper."
Of leaving the show to see the shocking headlines about the incident, Kinga said: "I can't believe the reaction. I was just messing around because I was tipsy, but it never actually touched me."
That same year Makosi Musambasi and eventual winner Anthony Hutton were seen downing booze before appearing to engage in sexual activity in the swimming pool.
Anthony and Makosi in the hot tub in Big Brother series six (Copyright unknown)Anthony denied they had full sex but 48 hours later Makosi went to the diary room and asked if she could have a pregnancy test. She left the house weeks later to screams of 'liar' from the crowd.
In 2014, housemates Steven Goode and Kimberly Kisselovich moved their relationship to a sexual level after falling for each other in the house.
Kimberley quit the show on Day 44 because of 'illness' but later disclosed she left after falling pregnant with Steven's baby, which she tragically miscarried after suffering an ectopic pregnancy.
Nine months after the show, Kimberley and Steven tied the knot in a private wedding, with their Big Brother friends Helen Wood and Bianca Lake attending their big day. The pair reportedly split just months later.
Emma and Victor had a furious row on Bg Brother five's infamous 'fight night' (E4)Big Brother series five might be best remembered for the infamous ‘fight night’ where a number of the housemates got involved with a notorious brawl that led to security guards bursting into the house.
Following a fake eviction, pals Emma Greenwood and Michelle Bass made a shocking reappearance - sparking a huge row with Victor Ebuwa, Nadia Almada, Marco Sabba and Jason Cowan joining in.
Security stormed the house as the argument turned violent with food and platters being thrown. Emma was unceremoniously kicked out of the house the next day for breaching rules.
Victor and Emma squared up to each other before security burst in (REX/Shutterstock)One of the biggest Big Brother scandals in later years came on a celebrity edition with the infamous 'punch gate' scandal involving soap stars Roxanne Pallett and Adam Thomas.
Former Emmerdale actress Roxanne accused Ryan of 'punching her' in a 'deliberate attack' during their time in the house.
The incident stunned viewers who bombarded Ofcom with complaints over Ryan's treatment. The Ex Corrie star broke down in tears and said his life was 'in tatters' after Roxanne branded him a 'woman beater'.
The incident was caught on camera and showed both actors laughing as Ryan appeared to playfully punch Roxanne as she carried a pile of dirty washing.
Roxanne Pallett's career was damaged by her CBB appearance (TV Grab)"Ow - woman beater that bl***y hurt. I was going to ask if you wanted your washing done but I might shrink them instead," she exclaimed before giggling. But she later sobbed in the Diary Room claiming she had been "punched repeatedly, unprovoked and completely deliberately" by Ryan and called for him to be removed from the Channel 5 show.
"I went from being upset to being angry, because a boy has punched me repeatedly, unprovoked," said Roxanne. "And we weren't play fighting, there was no banter, it wasn't a joke," she claimed in the diary room.
Roxanne spent the night away from her housemates after saying she did not 'feel safe', before returning to the compound the next morning. She went on to quit days later.
Speaking after her departure, Roxanne said: "Watching it feels like a completely different scenario to what it felt at the time."
Latest Safeguarding measures
ITV outlined a number of measure when the civilian series returned last year that impacted the contestants before they entered the house, during their time on the show and beyond. All participants were required to adhere to a social media blackout and undergo respect and inclusion training to set out expectations around use of language and acceptable behaviour in the House.
The new guidelines included:
- Housemates will receive information about the experience of taking part in Big Brother including the possible positive and negative implications.
Bespoke training on dealing with social media and press.
Mental health professionals are available to Housemates for ongoing support throughout their time in the House.
Ongoing contact by the Head of Welfare for a period of 14 months after the series has ended, with additional help provided where needed.
All Housemates have undergone psychological and medical assessments including assessments by an independent doctor, mental health professionals and information reports from each Housemate’s GP.
The return of Celebrity Big Brother starts at 9pm Monday 4 March on ITV
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