Two University Challenge contestants have accused the BBC of an 'Orwellian' decision to seemingly edit out their Pride badges from the long-running quiz show. Astrophysics student Samuel Carlier and history student Emmeline Hague-Wright from the University of Leicester filmed their episode earlier this year.
The episode was initially slated to air on BBC Two on August 24, but the contestants say the transmission date was pushed back twice before finally broadcasting on September 7. When the episode made it to screens, the team noticed their LGBTQ+ symbols had vanished.
Contestants speak out
Sam wore the rainbow flag on his black jacket during filming and noted it 'melted into itself' at odd moments, possibly due to post-production editing. Meanwhile, Emmeline wore a rainbow feather, which the BBC allegedly told her would be removed.
Speaking to The Leicester Gazette, the students said the move felt 'weird' and 'absurd' from TV bosses. Sam pondered: 'If I had worn a rainbow shirt, would they have censored that? If the idea is to keep things impartial, where is that line in the sand?'
'Living in a liberal democracy and having the state broadcaster tell you, “We’re editing how you look,” seems very Orwellian,' he added.
Response from the BBC
Sam explained that he reached out to the BBC after watching the episode and noticing the change, but he was far from satisfied with their response. After already having to 'chase' them when a promised phone call never came, he was told to 'go to the complaints website and file a complaint there', which he did. He claims he has yet to receive a response.
As for Emmeline, she was contacted by the production team, which she both assumed and hoped would be in a way of offering support, having become aware of transphobic reactions on social media to a prior episode. Instead, she was informed of the decision to 'censor' her rainbow feather symbol.
'At first, it was mostly confusion,' she admitted. 'I heard that they had received a lot of nastiness online from people, and I thought they were going to call me to say, “We have support services if needed,” and that wasn’t what I got at all.'
Out of 'left field', she was told the episodes would be delayed, which she attributes to the time needed to make the edits between July and September. 'This entire delay has been because of a feather and two badges on a teammate that were basically impossible [for viewers] to see. It takes a lot of time; making [the edit] look good would be even more expensive and time-consuming. It seems like drastically a lot of effort.'
When contacted for a comment, the BBC denied any correlation between the episodes being delayed and editing the Pride badges. A spokesperson told Metro: 'In line with our editorial guidelines, we advise that no badges, flags and emblems or symbols are worn or visible during filming, along with clothing with obvious branding or slogans. If such items are not removed for any reason, then a decision is made between the programme makers and the BBC regarding any edits to the programme.'
An ITV Studios spokesperson also said: 'University Challenge is an entertainment quiz show and is made in accordance with the BBC Editorial Guidelines requirements for impartiality.'
Similar incident on Strictly
The incident follows widespread backlash over a recent editing choice on Strictly Come Dancing. Earlier this month, actress Bethany Antonia was filmed during rehearsals wearing a white T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan 'Protect the Dolls'. The phrase has become part of a cultural movement in recent years as a way of showing allyship with the trans community, specifically trans women.
Celebrities including Pedro Pascal and Madonna have worn clothing featuring the slogan after London-based designer Conner Ives made a shirt that went viral and donated profits to the Trans Lifeline charity. One of the latest stars to show solidarity was House of the Dragon's Bethany, but Strictly viewers were shocked to realise her T-shirt had been completely censored when it featured in the Saturday night episode. A blurred box was placed over the star's chest instead, which can also be seen in the episode on BBC iPlayer.
Taking to X, viewers branded the move 'disgusting' and 'despicable', noticing a clip from rehearsals posted on the Strictly Instagram page was also quietly removed and replaced with a distorted version.
In response to the criticism, the BBC echoed their statement regarding University Challenge. A spokesperson told Metro: 'As is standard practice on any entertainment show on the BBC and in line with our editorial guidelines, appropriate steps are taken to reduce the inclusion of any overt branding or slogans that may be present, regardless of the wording or statement in question.'
Audiences praised Bethany regardless, calling it 'sad' but 'not surprising' that it had been removed, with discrimination and hostility towards trans people prevalent in the UK, impacting healthcare, education, politics, and work. According to the Home Office Hate Crime Statistics, there were around 3,955 to 4,000 police-recorded transgender hate crimes in the year ending March 2025/2026.
