MUMBAI: British reality show Celebrity Big Brother, which was in the thick of a racial row earlier this year, has been axed for the next season that would have gone on air in 2008.

The announcement was made by Channel 4, on which the show is aired. The channel said that Celebrity Big Brother would be rested as part of a programming shake-up to refresh the network and reaffirm its public service broadcasting credentials.

The treatment of the Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty by her fellow housemates Jade Goody, Jo O’Meara and Danielle Lloyd elicited 54,000 complaints to media regulator Ofcom.

Ofcom told Channel 4 that it had violated the broadcasting code and the channel had to air three apologies ahead of the start of the current series of Big Brother.

Apart from Celebrity Big Brother, the channel has also axed some other reality shows like Brat Camp, You Are What You Eat, It’s Me Or The Dog and Selling Houses Abroad. These shows will be replaced by new drama, campaigning seasons, a history series and a documentary project.

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IN PICTURES
Shilpa Shetty on Celebrity Big Brother