‘Would have refused to take part!’ Ann Widdecombe blasts Big Brother pronoun ‘rubbish’
Ann Widdecombe mocks pronoun conversation in new series of Big Brother
Former Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe has become the latest to criticise the new series of Big Brother after going ‘woke’.
Widdecombe, herself a former housemate of Celebrity Big Brother, was reacting to a clip from episode two of the new series, in which the housemates shared their preferred pronouns with each other.
Speaking on GBN Tonight, with Patrick Christys, Widdecombe said: “Well, if I had been in the Big Brother house now, I would have refused to take part in that!”
“I would have said, you know, do I look like a woman? Do I sound like a woman? If so, I probably am a woman. And don't you know what pronouns you attach to women, you know? Didn't you do English at school?”
Ann Widdecombe and Patrick Christys discuss Big Brother's 'woke' reboot
GB News
The clip aired in the same episode that housemate Hallie revealed to fellow housemates that they are transgender.
The revelation spurred fellow contestant Olivia, a 23-year-old dancer from Scotland, to grill the other housemates on their own pronouns, saying “Can we just double check pronouns so nobody gets offended?”
The moment received backlash on social media, with some referring to the moment as ‘compelled speech’, arguing housemates were pressured into sharing.
Ann also questioned whether the new focus on inclusion goes against the show’s original premise, citing her own controversial time on air as an example.
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This year's Big Brother has come under fire for being 'woke' ITV“It goes against the whole ethos of Big Brother,” said Ann. “Big Brother is meant to be about people letting their feelings show, about confrontation. It's about all that!”
The show has faced a troubled history, beginning on Channel 4 in the year 2000 and running for 12 series until it moved to Channel 5 as viewing figures dwindled, before it was finally cancelled in 2018.
ITV has also admitted it forced housemates to undergo ‘respect and inclusion training’ before entering the house.
“Nobody tunes into Big Brother to have people sitting around deliberately trying not to offend each other," Patrick said of the show's new attitude. "It is supposed to be the opposite. It's supposed to be shock and awe television.”
Big Brother star Hallie came out as trans within the second episode ITVAnn agreed, saying: “If it’s politically correct, it's going to be boring. It's going to be absolutely boring.”
“The theory is you take a group of people, you take away all their books. You take away all their pens and pencils. They've only got each other to rely on. And you look at the interaction.”
“Well, if the interaction is going to be ‘Oh, please don't call me she/her’, I can't see people staying tuned in for very long!”
Finally Patrick joked about one way the ITV show could claw back some viewers: “They need to parachute you in and they need to parachute you in. Get that house shaken up, I’m telling you!”