The BBC has said that it was 'completely unaware' of offensive tweets posted a decade ago by Apprentice contestant Levi Hodgetts-Hague, prompting the broadcaster to demand a full review of the show's social media vetting process.
The posts, which emerged after filming, described Muslims as 'dirty', women as 'slags' and 'dogs', police officers as 'pigs', and expressed support for far-right activist Tommy Robinson. The BBC called the views 'totally unacceptable' and said the independent production company, Naked, must review its checks 'given the process has clearly failed in this instance'.
This is not the first time the show has faced controversy over contestant behaviour. Earlier this year, Dr Asif Munaf was struck off the medical register for antisemitic, racist and sexist posts. It also emerged that season 13's Tom Bunday had been jailed for violent assault, and in 2006, Katie Hopkins caused outrage with her comments.
Celebrity PR Julian Henry said Naked carried 'ultimate responsibility' for vetting, while Professor Jamie Medhurst of Aberystwyth University noted a 'lack of oversight' following the MasterChef host scandal. Alex Segal of InterTalent agency said society checks were 'not bulletproof' but added that 'if Hodgetts-Hague’s comments had been picked up, he wouldn’t have made the show I suspect'.
The Apprentice returns for its 20th series on Thursday, and the production company has been asked to fully review its social media checks to prevent future failures.
