TV bosses to decide Big Brother fate 

The Channel 4 board is to meet for the first time since the racism row on Celebrity Big Brother.

The broadcaster has faced criticism for not doing more to halt clashes between housemates and is facing calls to axe the show completely.

The board's eight non-executive members will be briefed on comments made to Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty.

It is said to be reluctant to make a "knee-jerk" reaction but will look at the show's future.

Restaurateur Luke Johnson chairs the board and its non-executive members include Labour peer Lord Puttnam, web entrepreneur Martha Lane Fox and ex-BBC News head Tony Hall.

Mr Johnson has already become the focus of demands from the Commission for Equality and Human Rights to apologise for how the situation was handled.

Last week Channel 4 chief executive Andy Duncan told a press conference the programme would not be pulled and any conflict in the Big Brother house had been closely monitored throughout.

Over the weekend Channel 4 was forced to deny that Goody - widely seen as the focus of antagonism to Shetty - had been coached on what to say in her post eviction interview.

Goody, 25, admitted Shetty had been subjected to "bullying and racism" on the programme and her behaviour had been the "biggest mistake" of her life.

Bookies favourite

Media watchdog Ofcom said it had received about 40,000 complaints about the programme. Viewing figures for Friday's late edition of Celebrity Big Brother averaged
7.8 million - peaking at 8.8 million towards the end of the programme, according to unofficial overnight ratings.

Saturday's and Sunday's instalments averaged 3.1 million and 3.4 million viewers respectively.

Following Goody's eviction bookmaker William Hill slashed the odds for Channel 4 axing the current Celebrity Big Brother series to 50-1.

It is offering 3-1 that no further series will be commissioned and 6-1 that there will be no more series of the non-celebrity version.

Shetty is now odds-on favourite to win the show, with William Hill cutting her price from 5-1 ten days ago to 8-11 now.

Article courtesy of BBC Online