Big Brother Celebrity Hijack - Dermot has his say
3 January 2008 - Dermot O'Leary has said he does not think the furore surrounding the series of Celebrity Big Brother warrants an apology.
Speaking to BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat, he defended the show ahead of his gig presenting the newly-formatted version entitled Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack.
Instead of famous faces living inside the house, they will instead play the role of Big Brother and boss around 12 hopeful housemates all wanting to win £50,000.
Although this will reportedly be O'Leary's last season presenting the reality show, he told Newsbeat that the headline-hitting previous series actually brought some important issues to the fore.
"I still think it's a good show," he explained. "I don't think anyone should apologise for what happened last year. It conjured up debate and asked serious questions."
His comments refer to the ongoing arguments between Jade Goody and Shilpa Shetty, which many viewers believed constituted bullying, particularly in light of certain comments made by Goody.
Complaints were made to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom about her behaviour, along with that of beauty queen Danielle Lloyd and ex-S Club star Jo O'Meara.
