[Mrluvaluva]

Big Brother bosses have been blasted for filming a fake funeral in a cemetery where a real one was going on.

Show chiefs gathered 30 ex-housemates for the TV ad to promote the last ever BB, which starts next month.

But mourners at a real funeral were disgusted when the wannabes started squabbling among the graves.

One witness said: “They’ve plunged to a new low as far as bad taste goes.”

The spoof sees ex housemates burying the diary room chair while BB narrator Marcus Bentley, 42, plays the vicar.

Spencer Smith, 30, a star of the third series of the C4 reality show, said: “No-one expected a real ­funeral to be taking place.”

Last night an official at Wandsworth Council, which looks after the cemetery at Putney Vale, south London, said: “We took precautions to ensure filming did not impact on anyone else in the cemetery.”

A Big Brother spokesman said: “We were in constant contact with the cemetery over filming for the advert.”


Daily Star

[Patrick]

Pmsl.

[ElProximo]

What is now annoying me is that the quotes do not actually confirm the opening claim.

“No-one expected a real *funeral to be taking place.”

So a real funeral was taking place, yes?

“We took precautions to ensure filming did not impact on anyone else in the cemetery.”

OK... so this means your apologizing or saying you succeeded?

“We were in constant contact with the cemetery over filming for the advert.”

And so this means there WASNT a real funeral or you are saying it was their fault or what?

Can spokesmen just SAY OUTRIGHT exactly what happened and could journalists EXPLAIN what we are reading please.

[Barbie]

A big brother spokesman could be anyone, just like a source could be anyone

[Jordan.]

As if they would have been given permission to film there if an actual funeral was taking place.

Daily Star

[keithafc]

Nick Bateman says its not true.

[cattonIBB]

I've lifted the following from my article I posted on IBB

Big Brother 1 housemate Nick Bateman, who was present at the filming of the graveyard advert, has told Inside Big Brother exclusively via his twitter account ( @NickBateman1 ) that the Daily Star story we reported on above is “off the mark”.

Nick tweeted that the red-top paper ”are just pissed they (didn’t) get an exclusive when offered. So they report rot” (sic). Interestingly, Nick continued: “I believe c4 did all that could to respect the location. I rarely stand up for them, but here I do.”

So it looks as if Channel 4 weren’t as disrespectful to the genuine funeral service (if there was one at all!) as the Daily Star are reporting.

[Zippy]

Sounds made up to me. Im sure the BB folk would have been respectful had they seen another funeral taking place. If indeed there was any other funeral. I think they would have checked first that it would be free to film at that time.

Meh.

[cattonIBB]

I think you're right Zippy.
Also, the filming went on all day, judging by some ex-housemates's twitter posts. It started early in the morning, and didn't wrap until the evening. So surely they could've had a break whilst the genuine funeral service took place, if indeed there was another funeral at the same time.

Equally though, if there was another funeral, you can only sympathise for the family/friends who understandly wouldn't want a tv crew filming near their moment of grief.