[James]

20 May 2006
WAILS OVER SHOW'S BAN ON WELSH

BIG Brother bosses sparked a language row yesterday after banning two housemates from speaking Welsh.

Former Miss Wales Imogen Thomas, 23, and lifeguard Glyn Wise, 18, are fluent Welsh speakers - but were gagged by the show.

Language campaigners and even the Tories hit out at the show producers for the language ban.

Housemate Glyn was called to the diary room yesterday and banned from speaking Welsh.

Glyn protested: "But it's a British language."

An authoritarian voice with an English accent replied: "It's not English and could be considered to be talking in code."

Glyn said in his profile for the programme that he feels strongly all Welsh people should speak the language.

Conservative Party in Wales spokeswoman Lisa Francis said: "It is nothing short of an insult to the people of Wales. Welsh and English have equal status in law and the housemates have every right to speak in either of Wales's national languages."

A spokesman for the Welsh Language Board said: "Welsh is one of Europe's oldest languages and is an indigenous language that the programme's producers should respect."

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