BBC ‘completely unaware’ Traitors star compared Israel to Nazi Germany as it responds to unearthed social media posts

In a post shared beneath a photograph of an Israeli checkpoint, Mr Bana wrote: “Nazis all over again, the oppressed have become the oppressors. The Zionists have short memories of what Hitler did.”

In a statement responding to the controversy, the BBC said it was “completely unaware that these comments had been posted” and stressed: “We do not agree with the views expressed.”

Mr Bana, who was “murdered” by fellow contestants on the programme last week, later issued a statement apologising for any offence caused.

He denied holding antisemitic views, saying: “I refute any allegations that I am antisemitic. My viewpoint has always been from a humanitarian perspective rather than a political one.”

The father-of-five added that it was never his intention to “offend, marginalise or discriminate against any individual or group”.

Studio Lambert, the production company behind the series, admitted the posts were not identified during its vetting process, which it said is taken “extremely seriously”.

The company claimed the remarks were made on third-party accounts rather than Mr Bana’s own profile, meaning they were not detected during background checks.

Producers also stressed that political views play no role in casting or in-game decisions.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism described the situation as an “outrage” and called for accountability at a senior level.

The group said the contestant “appears to believe in deranged conspiracy theories”, accusing him of claiming that world leaders are controlled by shadowy “paymasters” and that “Zionists” are equivalent to Nazis.

It condemned the comments as “the language of fanatics and extremists”.

The organisation said the BBC had either carried out “absolutely no due diligence” or identified the posts and “did not bat an eyelid”.

The charity has demanded an on-air apology during the next episode and called for those responsible to be “hauled before the House of Commons culture select committee”.

The row comes amid a deepening crisis at the corporation, after more than 200 Jewish staff and contributors accused the Board of failing to act on antisemitism concerns.

In July 2024, the group wrote to BBC chairman Samir Shah alleging “systemic problems of anti-Semitism and bias” and warning that the organisation was no longer “a safe space to be Jewish”.

An accompanying report, Being Jewish and working at the BBC, included testimonies from employees who said senior management had failed to address repeated concerns.

Signatories included producer Leo Pearlman, former ITV entertainment chief Claudia Rosencrantz, and ex-BBC executive Danny Cohen.

The group later contacted the Board again, asking who would be held accountable after what it described as “repeatedly substantiated anti-Jewish racism”.

Kemi Badenoch criticised the broadcaster, describing the episode as a “shameful failure of leadership”.

She said it was “indefensible” that the corporation had ignored complaints about racism and bias for nearly 18 months, urging the board to “intervene to restore trust”.

Ms Badenoch added that the BBC must report truthfully rather than “provide cover for extremists”.

Nigel Farage warned the controversy could threaten the broadcaster’s funding model.

“The allegations against the BBC over bias are worsening by the day,” he said. “The licence fee is now in serious question.”

The latest controversy also follows claims in an internal report by former editorial adviser Michael Prescott, which alleged systemic anti-Israel bias in the BBC’s coverage of the Gaza conflict.