Indian Big Brother to have ban on "hanky-panky"

July 19, 2006

Producers of India's Big Brother have said that an upcoming celebrity edition will have a ban on "hanky-panky".

A spokeswoman for Endemol India told BBC News that contestants will have to remain chaste in the Big Brother house for three months. "Participants will be told to keep their hands to themselves," she revealed. "India is a conservative society and it is not ready for the raunchy scenes that so characterise the programmes in the West," she added.

And unlike other versions of Big Brother around the world, India's version will not be transmitted live in a bid to avoid showing unpleasant scenes which may cause controversy.

It is understood that up to twelve contestants will participate in the show, which is to be televised at the end of this year. The show’s producers have said they want stars from Bollywood, Indian television and cricket to live in the Big Brother compound. The managing director of Endemol India, Rajesh Kamat, said both Hindus and Muslims may be chosen, but that issues between religions would not be talked about on the programme.

India is still quite a conservative society. Close acts like kissing are never seen on TV, and only a small number of couples cohabit before marriage.

In 2006, two housemates were removed from Australia's version of Big Brother after apparently sexually assaulting a female contestant.

Big Brother was created in the Netherlands in 1999 and has sold to almost seventy different countries.