[dustmite]

From news.bbc.co.uk
Police have launched an investigation into a drunken row between contestants in the Big Brother house.

Officers from Hertfordshire Police were called to the house in the early hours of Thursday after calls from viewers. Live coverage of the Channel 4's reality show was cut in the early hours after violence broke out in the house.

Digital channel E4, which screens the show throughout the night, suspended coverage between 2am and 3am while the situation was defused.

Producers eventually sent in security guards to divide the warring parties.

A spokesman for Hertfordshire Police said in a statement: "Following an number of calls from members of the public regarding an alleged incident in the Big Brother house last night Hertfordshire Constabulary can confirm it will be obtaining a video tape of the incident later today.

"Our officers are currently in liaison with members of the Big Brother production team to see whether further action needs to be taken."

The row erupted after Emma Greenwood and Michelle Bass returned from a bedsit where they had been able to spy on others.

Emma, 20, and 23-year-old Michelle had spent the past five days secretly watching coverage of the house, and making decisions that affected the other housemates, before they returned on Wednesday night.

They came back to the house during a fancy dress party, with the fight breaking out a few hours later.

Emma and another housemate, 23-year-old student Victor Ebuwa, had to be separated after they made threats towards each other and he poured white wine over her.

Kitten has already been evicted for bad behaviour
Meanwhile fellow housemate Jason Cowen, 30, threw furniture and hurled abuse at other contestants.

Emma has clashed with Victor in recent weeks, and was furious when he later branded her racist and stupid.

As the live feed was cut viewers saw only a pre-recorded loop of images from the house during the hour.

A spokeswoman for Channel 4 denied reports that Emma had been expelled from the house following the fight, and confirmed that there were no plans to evict any of the other housemates involved.

"Each of the housemates will be called in to the Diary Room today to talk to Big Brother," she said.

"At the end of the day, it is the health and welfare of the housemates that we are concerned about - the game show element is secondary.

"We want to talk to them individually and see how they are all feeling today. Then we will take a view on what to do next."

The current series of Big Brother has already caused controversy, with housemate Kitten Pinder being evicted after just one week, having received three formal warnings from producers over her behaviour.

The tension in the house has seen ratings soar, with Wednesday night's main Channel 4 show attracting 6.3 million, not far off the 6.7 million who tuned in to see the launch night of the fifth series two weeks ago.