Just when you thought you’d never have to hear another Big Brother story again…

Big Brother, a flag ship programme on the [Italian] prime minister’s Mediaset network, has been forced into a humiliating climb down after the Church objected to contestants on the reality television show uttering blasphemous insults.

… [I]t was the swearing by three male contestants that infuriated the Catholic Church, with the attack led by Avvenire, an influential daily newspaper owned by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

The offending remarks were bleeped when they were broadcast, but according to media insiders included “Mannaggia la Madonna” – Damn the Virgin Mary – and “Dio maiale”, which literally translates as “God pig” and is considered highly offensive by Italians.

Under fire from Avvenire and broadcaster watchdogs, the producers of Big Brother took the unexpected decision on Monday to drum the three male contenders out of the show, rather than wait for viewers to decide the issue with a phone-in vote.

The show’s presenter, Alessia Marcuzzi, read out a statement saying the programme would not tolerate language that “offends the sensitivity of the public”.

Full article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/8261932/Italian-Big-Brother-removes-contestants-for-blasphemy.html