Big Brother’s Omar prompts 7,138 Ofcom complaints as Women’s Aid speaks out
Omar’s behaviour towards Rhianna has seen more than 7,000 Ofcom complaints (ITV)
Women’s Aid has criticised Big Brother for airing what it described as “coercive and controlling behaviours” in scenes involving housemates Omar and Rhianna, warning the show risks turning abuse into entertainment.
His behaviour in the 19 October episode has seen Ofcom receive 7,138 complaints, as well as calls on social media for him to be removed.
In a statement shared with the Daily Mail, Veronica Oakeshott, Head of External Affairs at Women’s Aid, said: “It’s worrying to see behaviours like this being given a platform in popular media like Big Brother.”
She added: “Not only does Big Brother risk minimising survivors’ experiences, it also risks presenting abuse as a form of entertainment.”
What happened between Omar and Rhianna?
Monday’s episode (19 October) showed Omar telling Rhianna to stop talking about him, before Big Brother later called her to the Diary Room to check in on her.
In the Diary Room, Rhianna said: “I’m not that good but I’ll be fine. Obviously me and Omar have not been good over the last few days and sometimes I don’t like the way he speaks to me.”
Women’s Aid said it had been contacted by viewers expressing concern about the scenes, and urged producers to understand their responsibility to keep contestants “emotionally and physically safe”.
Women’s Aid is a federation of domestic abuse services working across the UK, known for campaigning on coercive control and survivor support. The charity regularly comments on media portrayals of domestic abuse and the responsibilities of broadcasters.
Big Brother releases statement
The scenes prompted calls online for Omar to be removed. TV personality Dean McCullough also posted on TikTok calling for Omar to be removed, describing what viewers saw as “completely unacceptable”.
A Big Brother spokesperson said: “All Housemates receive Respect and Inclusion training and an extensive briefing from the Big Brother Senior team to prepare them for living in the House and to set out Big Brother’s expectations for appropriate behaviour and language.”
They added: “Housemates are monitored 24 hours a day and any instances of inappropriate behaviour are responded to appropriately.”
Omar had already attracted criticism from viewers for his behaviour towards Rhianna, including from Danny Beard on Big Brother: The Group Chat.
More complaints over Big Brother
Ofcom has also received complaints caused by Philip and Rochele’s behaviour, as well as Lynx’s treatment of evicted housemate Rob.
The 18 October episode saw 658 complaints due to alleged bullying by Philip, 16 October saw 206 due to alleged bullying of Rob by Rochelle and Philip, 13 October saw 110 complaints for issues including Rochelle’s comments about Yasmin’s weight, Omar’s treatment of Yasmin and Rhianna, and Lynx’s behaviour towards Rob, and 12 October episode saw 57 complaints due to Rochelle’s comments about Yasmin’s weight.
There were also 53 complaints after the 14 October episode about Rochelle’s historic social media posts, though they did not appear in the show.
Big Brother continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.
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