'Racist' author David Irving invited onto Celebrity Big Brother (From Borehamwood Times)

'Racist' author David Irving invited onto Celebrity Big Brother

7:50am Friday 7th November 2008

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)

Holocaust denier David Irving was lined up to appear on Celebrity Big Brother, to be filmed in Borehamwood in January, sparking widespread outrage.

Mr Irving revealed to the Borehamwood & Elstree Times this week that he had cleared his diary for three weeks to appear on the programme, filmed at Elstree Studios, in Shenley Road — although the show’s producers have played down their aborted plans.

High Court judge Charles Gray called him “an active Holocaust denier... anti-Semitic and racist” in 2000 following the historian’s unsuccessful libel claim against Holocaust scholar Deborah Lipstadt. He was also jailed for ten months in Austria after pleading guilty to denying the Holocaust happened. He specialises in books about the Second World War.

Despite the furore over the bullying of the 2007 winner, Indian actress Shilpa Shetty, Mr Irving, 70, received what he called a “top-secret provisional invitation” from producer Endemol on Tuesday, September 30.

He said: “I would have done it and I set aside three weeks they asked from January 2.

“When I got the invitation I went online to see what Big Brother was and I knew that George Galloway had made a terrible mistake [by appearing on the 2006 show] but that was probably because of the way he played it.

“From another link I found out how much he had been paid by Big Brother, which was £150,000. There’s not much I wouldn’t do for that kind of money like get down on all fours and meow like a cat.”

Mr Irving met with producers for a 90-minute meeting on Tuesday, October 7, at a London hotel.

He was told a fortnight ago that producers decided not to include him in the show.

He said: “After a time I had to say to Big Brother to please bear in mind that I am now getting invitations to speak so I can’t keep those few weeks completely blank much longer.”

Rabbi Pete Tobias, of The Liberal Synagogue Elstree, in Elstree High Street, said: “For a broadcaster to contemplate giving a platform to a person who holds odious and destructive opinions does not benefit anyone and the decision not to include David Irving is, I suppose, a victory for common sense. Not that the broadcast itself embodies very much of that.

“I think the issue says more about the programme makers and the modern perception of celebrity than anything else."

On Friday, October 24, Mr Irving wrote in his website diary that Big Brother contacted him to say the producers decided not to include him in the programme.

He said in his online diary: “At 11.45am Del C of Celebrity Big Brother phones me to say that the producers have decided not to invite me to participate in their January 2, 2009 series after all.

“I wonder who put the ‘no’ stamp on it and why?”

A Big Brother spokeswoman said: “David Irving has not been seriously considered as a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother.”

This week Mr Irving said: “I have to admit I have never watched Big Brother. If I have I would have watched it accidently as my television only has five channels. I may have flicked through it and looked in horror and then moved on.

“My feelings are mixed. It would have been very enjoyable to do it. The reason being that it’s as close to live telelvision as you can get without being live.

“It is a huge risk of course. My 14-year-old daughter said ‘Daddy, don’t do it’.

“I always attach great importance to live television because you cannot be misrepresented. I pride myself that when people found out I could speak fluently, that I don’t split my infinitives and use a knife and fork then the viewers might have possibly warmed to me.”

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)