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C4 is right in defending Celeb BB,says Lisa Campbell, Acting Editor

C4 is right in defending Celeb BB.But it should have spoken up sooner and must now continue the debate, contends Lisa Campbell, Acting Editor.

Some of the most disturbing evidence of racism, hate and extremism seen on British television was unveiled by Channel 4 last week. But perhaps you missed it.

The programme in question was Undercover Mosquefor Dispatches, which filmed jihad-promoting preachers encouraging the beating of women, blaming Christians for spreading Aids, vilifying Jews and homosexuals…

And did this attract a media frenzy, record viewing figures or the intervention of government? Of course not. It was seen by just 1.5 million (a 6% share) and reported by a handful of newspapers. And that's exactly Kevin Lygo's point, revealed in our exclusive interview: it's only shows like Big Brother, which attract a mainstream 16 to 34-year-old audience, that bring contentious is-sues off the comment pages and into the wider world.

Would he prefer it if current affairs documentaries did that job? Of course he would, but what really matters is that some part of the programming slate contains the issues and debates that force us to confront uncomfortable truths about our society we'd rather ignore.

It is right that the C4 chiefs are resisting calls to resign. Certainly, they appeared weak by not responding to the outrage sooner. But they are - and should be - standing firm now. Imagine if their futures had really been questioned by the board or that they felt compelled to resign under the weight of the unprecedented public outcry. What would that say about us as a democracy, and what kind of TV would it result in?

It is, always has been and always should be C4's mission to offer an alternative, to go where other broadcasters can't or won't, and its future funding shouldn't depend on a Big Brotherrow.

Whether Big Brothershould continue to be the major outlet to spark such serious debate remains questionable. As Lygo admitted, the show was the 'most boring Big Brotherever' before the row, and C4 and Endemol have a lot of work to do to ensure that it survives.

Whether the channel and production company did manage the process of what went on in the house effectively will come to light following their own and Ofcom's review. But if they did, they deserve the industry's backing. The worst-case scenario resulting from this whole affair would be any tendency toward self-censorship, provoked because people were afraid to come under similar scrutiny. Any sanitised, censored view of the world must be resisted at all costs.