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Viewers of Big Brother UK are criticizing its contestants after the show aired a tense debate about transgender rights, pronouns, single-sex bathrooms and trans athletes in sports.
It happened during Sunday night’s episode of the reality competition series — one of more than 60 editions of the franchise worldwide — where a group of strangers called “house guests” or “housemates” live together for several weeks in a custom-built house, completely cut off from the outside world. Filmed 24/7, they compete in challenges and survive weekly evictions to outlast everyone else and win a cash prize.
Two new contestants joined the house that night: Twinks Burnett, 36, and Catrin Richards, 23. The debate, which was posted on the show’s official social media, began after Burnett started a conversation about LGBTQIA+ allyship and gender identity.
Here’s what happened
Housemate Philip Regan, who is gay, said he was in favour of freedom of speech, arguing, “You can’t say anything, and it’s wrong.”
“Me, growing up, my generation, it was ‘him’ and ‘he,'” said Regan, 53, referring to gender pronouns. “Now, everything’s different.”
He went on to say, “If you want to be classed as a fridge, you’re classed as a fridge.”
Burnett countered by saying it was “no one else’s business to tell you who you are, what your sexuality is and we should never assume who anyone is until they tell you,” with which several of the guests, including Regan, appeared to agree.
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On the subject of whether transgender women should be allowed to use women’s washrooms, another house guest — Rochelle Rackham — said, “I wouldn’t be happy with a transgender in the toilet with me.”
Burnett concluded that building community was the most important step in bridging these differences.
Microphones picked up another conversation later that night where Regan told another housemate that Burnett was trying to “cause trouble” by bringing up transgender protections.
Viewers call out contestants for exchange
The moment drew calls on social media for the network ITV to reprimand Rackham and Regan, with many accusing the two of transphobia and questioning why the network chose to air the conversation.
In the show’s previous season, a contestant received a formal warning from producers for misgendering a fellow cast member.
“Have ITV entirely scrapped the diversity and inclusion training this year?” one user wrote on X.
“The homophobia is palpable and the transphobia is obvious! I’m so sorry for a trans person watching this show tonight, I can’t imagine how that’s made you feel,” wrote another.
Other fans defended the show’s choice, saying that the Big Brother franchise has always sought out to capture raw, unscripted human interactions and that removing the conversation would have amounted to censorship.
“Some of these views aren’t great but BB is about getting normal, everyday people with different views to live together, and a lot of people won’t have the same views as you,” a third wrote.
On the show’s Instagram account, some praised Burnett for starting the conversation.
Moment backdropped by U.K. legal ruling
The aired conversation mirrors the U.K.’s polarized landscape on trans issues, with ongoing debates about the legal definition of sex under the country’s Equality Act, trans athletes’ inclusion in sports as well as access to gender-affirming care.
Last year, the U.K. Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a “woman” — defined for anti-discrimination purposes — only applied to those assigned female at birth, excluding trans women. The court said trans people would not be disadvantaged by the decision, though advocacy groups disagreed.
Soon after the ruling, trans women were banned from playing on women’s soccer teams in England.
The controversy also comes as the Big Brother franchise is about to get a Canadian revival. Since debuting in the Netherlands in the late 1990s, the show has been adapted for dozens of countries, finding success everywhere from Brazil to the U.K. and India to Australia.
Following a two-year hiatus, Bell Media announced that Big Brother Canada is officially returning to screens, with a new season starting in April 2027.
The network’s deal also includes the 12 earlier seasons of the show, plus the French-language series Big Brother Célébrités.
Anyone who has experienced homophobia, transphobia or is affected by these descriptions can look for support through 2SLGBTQ+ services on the It Gets Better Canada’s website.
