Britain’s Got Talent fans were perplexed this evening when the judges passed no remark on the backlash to Diversity’s performance last week.
However, the live shows were filmed in the ITV studios several weeks prior to airing, meaning the judges weren’t aware of the controversy at the time of production.
Last weekend, the dance troupe put on a powerful performance, making reference to the death of George Floyd with Black Lives Matter-inspired choreography.
However, the dance routine was met by a backlash, with thousands of viewers contacting Ofcom, alleging the content of the performance was too “violent”.
On their social media in recent days, both Ashley Banjo and Alesha Dixon have spoken out against the complaints, with a huge rush of support from the majority of BGT viewers.
Ashley, who is replacing Simon Cowell on the judging panel, branded the comments as “ignorant and hateful”.
He said: “So much to say… But I’ll Just let the performance talk. Thousands of messages of Love and support – Thank you.
Ashley branded the comments as “ignorant and hateful”
“For the thousands of messages of hate and ignorance – Thank you. You highlight exactly what needs to change. Sending nothing but love to you all.”
Meanwhile, Alesha showed her disdain for the trolls, penning: “[They] can kiss my black ass!”
However, on this evening’s BGT, the judges did not pass any remark on the trolling, much to viewers’ surprise.
Alesha also hit out at the haters over social media this week, showing her disregard for the comments (Image: ITV)
Taking to Twitter, many wondered why the subject had been avoided – without realising the episode had been pre-recorded weeks in advance.
One said: “So shall we all pretend that 15,000 racists kicked up a rotten stink after seeing Diversity’s beautiful piece didn’t happen then eh #bgt ? You could have stood by Ashley and shown unity.”
“Be interesting to see if @bgt #BritainsGotTalent issue an apology or statement tonight.
“Regardless of your politics they’ve generated the 2nd largest amount of complaints in the history of TV. Will they ignore or acknowledge it?” added another.
Diversity’s performance last week was a moving reference to police brutality against the black community (Image: ITV)
However, a third wrote: “FYI… tonight’s show was recorded before last week’s show even aired.
“So nothing is a reference or a dig at the thousands who didn’t like a dance routine. And anyway, Ant & Dec are right, Ashley Banjo is brilliant. #BritainsGotTalent “.
Britain’s Got Talent airs on Saturdays at 8pm on ITV.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
