Viewers of Channel 4′s Jade Goody documentary were left feeling angered and uncomfortable as it revisited the Celebrity Big Brother race row on Wednesday night.
Jade’s appearance on the reality show made international headlines back in 2007 when she made a series of racist comments about fellow housemate and Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty.
Throughout her time in the house, Jade – as well as fellow housemates Jack Tweed, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O’Meara – were accused of bullying Shilpa.
Things reached a peak when the group had an infamous row over an Oxo cube, the aftermath of which saw Danielle remarking that Shilpa should “fuck off home”, and Jade referring to her as “Shilpa Fuckawallah” and “Shilpa Poppadom”.
TV watchdog Ofcom received tens of thousands of complaints, effigies of Jade and CBB producers were burned in protest in India and the show was even discussed in Parliament.
Over 12 years on, the documentary sought to unpack the scandal, which had ultimately proved to be Jade’s public demise, having experienced a meteoric rise to fame following her appearance on the civilian version of Big Brother five years previously.
Rewatching the incredibly uncomfortable scenes sparked a lot of conversation online among viewers.
As Big Brother producers were interviewed about the events, many questioned their role in it all, claiming they had sparked the situation with a task that saw the other housemates acting as Jade’s servants, which immediately created tension and division.
Many were also left in disbelief at how Channel 4 had handled the situation, having allowed it to play out on screen, rather than to remove Jade, Jo and Danielle from the house.
As the documentary went on to cover the ramifications Jade faced after her eviction, there were questions as to how Danielle and Jo had escaped largely unscathed given they had engaged in behaviour that was just as bad as Jade’s.
The fact the show also reignited a debate about whether Jade’s comments were rooted in racism left many angered that there were those still willing to defend her behaviour 12 years on.
Nearly two years on from her appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, Jade later appeared on the Indian version of Big Brother to apologise for her behaviour.
However, during her time in the house, she discovered she had been diagnosed with cervical cancer and had to return to the UK immediately for treatment.
As the documentary on Jade’s life continues next week, it will cover her fight against the disease before her death in March 2009, at the age of 27.
Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain concludes on Wednesday at 9pm on Channel 4.
