Celebrity Big Brother cleared over Christopher Biggins ‘bisexual AIDS’ rant
The UK’s broadcast watchdog Ofcom has rejected complaints against reality show Celebrity Big Brother, after airing a rant from Christopher Biggins.
The gay panto star was removed from the Celebrity Big Brother House earlier this year after a string of offensive comments, with an alleged anti-Semitic joke going unbroadcasted.
However, his comments about bisexuality were broadcast in full.
In the rant he claimed to Mob Wives star Renee Graziano: “I think the worst type though is, I’m afraid to say, the bisexuals. What it is is people not wanting to admit they are gay.”
He continued to claim AIDS was a “bisexual disease”, adding that “there were a lot of bisexuals who went to [third world] countries and had sex with those people and brought it back to their own families in America, and that’s how it became a worldwide disease.”
Ofcom cleared the comments today.
Its ruling states: “We investigated whether a discussion between Christopher Biggins and Renee Graziano about the sexual orientation of bisexual people was offensive.
“We accepted that these remarks made in Celebrity Big Brother were capable of causing offence, but they were likely to be within the audience’s expectations of this programme.”
Mr Biggins attempted to apologise for his offensive behaviour following his removal from the house – but this is not the first time he has been criticised for his views on the LGBT community.
The entertainer opposed the introduction of equal marriage, claiming in 2012: “I’m very anti-marriages, because I think that is for heterosexual couples. We can’t get rid of everything”.
He re-stated his opposition to same-sex marriage last year, claiming it’s “a step too far”
