An investigation has been launched after a contestant in The Apprentice complained of racial abuse by a co-star, media reports said.
Shazia Hussain was left “distressed” by the incident allegedly involving her fellow contestant Mark Moseley, a pest control businessman, the Daily Mail reported.
The incident, believed to be caught on camera, has not been telecast on the popular reality game show of BBC One, helmed by the business magnate Lord Alan Sugar.
Hussain “was really upset by the way she was treated and at times didn’t feel safe living in the Apprentice house,” a source told the newspaper.
The technology recruiter “can’t believe in this day and age she would be subjected to racially motivated bullying,” the insider said.
“Candidates were shocked that Mark was able to carry on filming the show despite animosity building behind the scenes,” the source said.
However, the BBC said in a statement that The Apprentice “has zero tolerance on racist bullying.”
“The duty of care and welfare of all candidates is of utmost importance and when action is required, we take it,” the corporation said.
“If there was evidence of racist bullying, candidates would be immediately removed from the process”, it said insisting, “we take all complaints very seriously.”
A source in the show told the Sun that as part of the established protocols, “candidates receive training before they enter the process.”
“Top-up training also takes place during filming,” they said.
Meanwhile, Lord Sugar fired Hussain from the show on Thursday after she made “so many errors”.
Week five of the show featured the candidates tasked with branding an electric motorbike and creating an advertising campaign before they could pitch to a panel of experts.
But Lord Sugar told Shazia, “I like people who admit their mistakes. The problem here is that there were so many mistakes.”
He went on: ‘Shazia, it is with regret that you’re fired.”
