Shilpa

London, Jan. 12: Shilpa Shetty was insulted as a “f…g Paki” on Celebrity Big Brother in possibly the most unpleasant episode to occur on this British reality television show.

Channel 4 has so far declined to comment on whether it intends to take any action against Jack Tweed, a youth of 19, who probably did not realise his expressions of virulent dislike were being picked up by night vision cameras and microphones in the darkened dormitory.

Tweed thought he was having a private chat in bed with his 25-year-old girlfriend Jade Goody whose mother, Jackiey Budden, was the first person to be evicted.

When viewers were asked which of five contestants they wanted to “save”, Jackiey received 4.6 per cent of votes cast, the lowest. It is not known how Shilpa fared.

However, Jade and Jack clearly held Shilpa responsible for Jackiey’s ouster since the latter had been involved in a number of arguments with the actress.

Jackiey, a woman of exceptional vulgarity but perhaps a good heart and described as “sub-normal” by Carole Malone, a Sunday Mirror columnist who is also a contestant, upset Shilpa from the very beginning by either refusing or failing to pronounce her name correctly.

After her eviction, Jackiey was interviewed briefly and managed to spit venom at Shilpa whom she disparagingly called “the Indian” — she was “jarring me big time”.

In bed that evening, Jackiey’s daughter and Jack were caught having a conversation.

Jack whispered: “I don’t like her one bit.”

Jade, too, said, “I hate her”, which was surprising since she and Shilpa had appeared to be getting on reasonably well.

Jack mouthed the words “f…g” and “Paki”, whereupon Jade urged her boyfriend to be silent.

Three contestants have now quit the show — film director Ken Russell (who described Jade and her mother as “terrorists”), Donny Tourette, a rocker (who refused to play the game by serving as a “servant” to Jade) and today, the singer Leo Sayer, who began on an over-cheerful note but quickly became psychologically unhinged.

Tonight, one of two other contestants, the American actor Dirk Benedict, who has admitted a softness for Shilpa, and Malone, is due to be evicted.

There is a plus for Shilpa. One newspaper which obviously adores her is the tabloid Daily Star, which has been acquainting its readers on a regular basis with her physical charms.