Sir Benjamin Slade, the 7th Baronet of Maunsel, has dramatically quit the new Channel 4 social experiment Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing just 12 hours after filming began, severing his handcuffs with bolt cutters after a row over his mobile phone.
The 79-year-old aristocrat, who had already sparked controversy for defending a painting by Adolf Hitler displayed at his Somerset home, allegedly demanded his phone but was told it was prohibited under competition rules. He then marched downstairs bare-chested, dragging his handcuffed partner, George, a 60-year-old former prison officer, who protested: 'I'm not a Jack Russell.'
During the altercation, a production crew member was heard saying: 'Please do not push me and take your hand off my camera.' Sir Benjamin later told the camera he would not be commanded in his own residence and insisted he was 'not a p***y.'
The pair became the first to be removed from the contest. George said he was 'proud' of his conduct. Viewers criticised Sir Benjamin, with one calling him a 'bigot' and another saying 'Well done, George. Great morals & a strong backbone to call out injustice.'
The earlier episode saw Sir Benjamin show George a Hitler painting, claiming it was 'just German art' and that Hitler was 'very good with children, dogs and loved to paint.' George retorted: 'That is a horror of a human being, it belongs in the toilet.'
Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing launches Monday, March 2 at 9pm on Channel 4.
