BBC accused of censorship after Strictly edits out star’s T-shirt slogan

The BBC defends its decision

Antonia, who stars in House of the Dragon, wore a top bearing the words “Protect the Dolls” during rehearsals last week. The slogan is used to show support for trans women.

(Image credit: BBC)

On October 9, the BBC posted a montage of the celebrities rehearsing for Strictly, including Antonia practising with her dance partner, Nancy Xu.

However, Antonia was later removed from the video, with footage of Xu shown in her place.

The slogan was also missing from Saturday night’s live broadcast. When Antonia appeared in the rehearsal room, her T-shirt looked completely plain, with the words “Protect the Dolls” edited out.

(Image credit: BBC)

The BBC defended the edits, explaining that it routinely “reduces the inclusion of any overt branding or slogans” under its editorial guidelines. 

However, the decision sparked an online backlash, with insiders reportedly criticising the corporation’s inconsistent approach to clothing with visible messages.

A source says the BBC’s Strictly T-shirt edit has backfired

This is not the first time the BBC has covered up a slogan on Strictly this series, having previously obscured writing on a top worn by actress Jaime Winstone.

However, the decision to remove Antonia’s message has raised questions about the corporation’s consistency, particularly as footage of Winstone wearing a retro shirt with “Gucci” printed down the sleeves was left untouched during Saturday’s live show.

The contrasting treatment has reportedly caused frustration behind the scenes, with one source telling The Sun that the BBC’s handling of the situation has been poor, despite taking social media criticism seriously.

“The BBC take remarks like the ones posted on social media seriously. But the handling of this has been rather poor. The celebs and pros do wear tops with writing or slogans occasionally and those haven’t been blurred.

“Removing this one has resulted in a pile-on and it’s not a good look.

“They seem to be struggling to get the right approach — and it’s backfired this time.

“They want same-sex partnerships and promote diversity and unity, but then censor a T-shirt like this which will obviously cause offence.”