Christopher Biggins presented Nazi-themed gameshow
search

The latest Jewish News

Read this week’s digital edition

Click Here

Christopher Biggins presented Nazi-themed gameshow

Footage emerged of the disgraced ex-Big brother housemate giving a 'Seig Heil' days after being booted out for anti-Semitic comments

Axed Celebrity Big Bro luvvie Christopher Biggins faced more humiliation after TV footage emerged of him goosestepping in Nazi uniform giving a “Sieg Heil” salute.

Biggins was removed from the house following three warnings from Big Brother for his remarks on bisexuality and for a comment about gas chambers made to X Factor reject Katie Waissel, who is Jewish.

As housemates queued for the bathroom, he said: “You better be careful or they’ll be putting you in a shower and taking you to a room.”

He later apologised to the singer and Big Brother for the “trite, ridiculous remark”, which was not broadcast but which he discussed in an interview.

Following his eviction, Biggins told Jewish News: “I am mortified by what I said. It was a stupid thing to do and I truly regret it. I apologised to Katie straight away and we cleared the air, but I’d also like to apologise to the wider Jewish community.”

Admitting that the remark was about the Nazis and gas chambers, he said: “I suppose I was, yes. But it didn’t occur to me that’s what I was referring to.”

Biggins said he had said sorry to Katie in person after being given a warning by Big Brother, and was sorry for his “trite, ridiculous remark”.

Showbiz agent Jonathan Shalit, who represents Biggins, told Jewish News: “I have been close friends and worked with Biggins for many years and can confirm that he would never intentionally cause offence. If something was said in jest which caused offence then I am certain that was not his intention. Biggins is a much loved and wonderful man.”

But in an interview in The Sun on Sunday, he stood by his comments that Aids was “a bisexual disease”, adding: “I said there were a lot of bisexuals who went to these (third world) countries and had sex and then took it back to their wives or lovers and gave them the virus. That’s what I’ve read and that’s what I believe.”

The pantomime veteran, 67, said he will continue with a pre-planned trip in October to the Polish city of Krakow and visit the nearby concentration camp, where more than one million people, predominantly Jews, were killed by the Nazis.

Support your Jewish community. Support your Jewish News

Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.

For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.

Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.

You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.

100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...

Engaging

Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.

Celebrating

There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.

Pioneering

In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.

Campaigning

Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.

Easy access

In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.

Voice of our community to wider society

The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.

We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.

read more: