The BBC has demanded a full review of background checks on Apprentice contestants after offensive tweets from Levi Hodgetts-Hague, a candidate in the upcoming series, were uncovered. The posts, made over a decade ago, contained racist and sexist remarks, including descriptions of Muslims as 'dirty', women as 'slags' and 'dogs', and police as 'pigs', as well as support for far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
A BBC spokesperson said the corporation was 'completely unaware' of the 'abhorrent comments' and described them as 'totally unacceptable'. The production company Naked has been asked to review its social media checks, as 'the process has clearly failed in this instance'. This is not the first time the show has faced controversy over contestants; in January, former contestant Dr Asif Munaf was struck off the medical register for antisemitic and racist posts, and season 13's Tom Bunday was jailed for violent assault.
PR expert Julian Henry said Naked bears 'ultimate responsibility' for vetting, noting that checking backgrounds is 'time intensive and costly', creating a temptation to cut corners. Professor Jamie Medhurst of Aberystwyth University linked the issue to the MasterChef scandal, suggesting a 'lack of oversight' and a need for the BBC to review how it works with independent production companies. He added that producers may seek 'interesting' characters to create drama, which could lead to risky casting choices.
Alex Segal of InterTalent agency explained that reality shows like The Apprentice use ensemble casts where each person fits a role, and casting agents often use AI or external firms to check social media, but this is 'not bulletproof'. He noted that offensive views can slip through if not expressed in specific searched terms, and that Hodgetts-Hague likely would not have been cast if the comments had been found earlier.
