Holocaust denier Irving auditioned for Celebrity Big Brother
Monday, November 3rd, 2008
Channel 4, or to be precise, Endemol have received strong criticism after for inviting David Irving, the disgraced historian and Holocaust denier, to take part in the next celebrity series.
Not the cleverest of moves from the Big Brother bosses after the recent media frenzy surrounding the Brand and Ross saga, (Wossygate) and both of the previous Big Brother controversies (Charleygate and Shilpagate).
Producers Endemol met with the author, described by a High Court judge as “anti-semitic and racist”, for 90 minutes to discuss his taking part in the next series starting in January.
On his website, Irving bragged that Endemol had sent him a “secret invite”. In another blog post he boasted, “They seem very keen… pleased that I am so upfront, open and uninhibited. Comes easily to me.” However, last Friday he was told that he had not made the final selection.
Irving came to international attention in 2000, when he filed a libel suit, which was rejected, against the American historian Deborah Lipstadt and Penguin Books for calling him one of the “most dangerous spokespersons for Holocaust denial.” He consistently addressed the judge as “mein Führer”. In 2006 Irving was jailed in Austria for denying the holocaust.
The move by Endemol has prompted astonishment and anger from campaigners. Mark Gardner, a director at the Community Security Trust, a Jewish protection charity, said “It is pathetic in the extreme that a Holocaust denier should even be considered as light entertainment for a reality TV show.”
A spokesman for Celebrity Big Brother said that Irving had not been “seriously considered” for the show, which begs the question why bother meeting with him for 90 minutes in the first place.
