Britain’s Got Talent racks up 1,675 complaints after Alesha Dixon’s Black Lives Matter necklace

The most recent episode of Britain’s Got Talent has racked up 1,675 Ofcom complaints, after Alesha Dixon was seen wearing a Black Lives Matter necklace.

Show judge Alesha, 42, sparked controversy on Saturday’s pre-recorded BGT semi-final as she donned the statement jewellery, one week after Diversity’s BLM-inspired dance routine was also subject to an avalanche of complaints.

However, while Alesha’s choice of jewellery left some viewers disgruntled, the number of complains pales in comparison to the 24,500 filed following Diversity’s performance the week before.

An Ofcom spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘We are assessing these complaints against our broadcasting rules, but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate.’

After she was shown on the ITV show wearing the BLM necklace, Alesha hit back at critics as she showed off her jewellery item in an Instagram video posted on Sunday. 

It comes after ITV rolled out full-page ads in solidarity with Diversity as Ofcom complaints continued to roll in over the groups BLM-inspired routine.

Taking to her Instagram on Sunday, to share some behind-the-scenes shots of her outfit on Saturday’s show, Alesha defiantly showed off the statement jewellery. 

Posting a video of herself getting her make-up done, the judge slowly zoomed in on the three-tier gold necklace with the large letters BLM on it.

Alesha’s stylist, Laury Smith, also shared snaps of the star’s outfit to her own Instagram account revealing that she wore items of jewellery by Hannah Martin, MAM Originals and Veiled Rebel.

It is not known which brand created the necklace and whether Alesha had it made bespoke for the ITV talent show.

On Saturday’s episode, the judge appeared on the pre-recorded semi-final in a bright yellow dress and a gold necklace which featured a BLM pendant.

It comes as ITV ‘stood with Diversity’ as they featured adverts in national newspapers in support of the controversial Black Lives Matter-inspired Britain’s Got Talent dance, which featured earlier in the series.

Alesha wore an off-shoulder yellow dress featuring a ruffle hem for the show, but all eyes were on her statement necklace.

ITV are believed to have spent around £260,000 on the newspaper ads with full-page monochrome pieces in The Metro costing £36,461 and £27,700 in The Mirror.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for ITV for comment. 

Alesha was one of many who praised ITV for standing by the dance troupe. The singer took to Instagram to share a snap of the advert and gushed over how ‘proud’ she was with them. 

In her caption, she wrote: ‘Well done @ITV for standing with Diversity! Proud of you! This image is in all of the national newspapers today.’

Fellow judge Ashley Banjo, 31, also shared his gratitude with ITV for standing by Diversity over their Black Lives Matter-inspired performance.

The poster showed a poignant black and white image of Ashley taking the knee alongside the words: ‘We are changed by what we see. Just as we are changed when we are seen. ITV stand with Diversity.’

Sharing a snap of the same advert, which shows him kneeling in black-and-white, he wrote: ‘This is what change looks like.

‘@ITV stand with @Diversity and we’ve never been prouder. This is in all the national papers today. Thank you again to everyone that has supported us.’

Diversity star Jordan Banjo, 27, who features in the dance troupe with his brother Ashley, also shared a picture of the ITV advert to his Instagram stories on Saturday.

On Thursday, OfCom announced they will not investigate the 24,500 complaints Diversity’s Black Lives Matter-inspired routine from Britain’s Got Talent on September 5.

The performance has now become the second-most complained about television moment of the decade, but a spokesperson for the government-approved regulatory body has confirmed to MailOnline no action will be taken.  

The representative said: ‘We carefully considered a large number of complaints about this artistic routine, an area where freedom of expression is particularly important.

‘Diversity’s performance referred to challenging and potentially controversial subjects, and in our view, its central message was a call for social cohesion and unity. 

‘Any depictions of violence by the performers were highly stylised and symbolic of recent global events, and there was no explicit reference to any particular political organisation – but rather a message that the lives of black people matter.’

Troupe leader Ashley reacted to the news on Instagram as he shared the statement and penned: ‘Creativity is always a leap of faith. All I did what was what felt right and I’d do it 100 times over… Sending love to everyone that stood by us’. 

The routine, which narrated the death of black man George Floyd beneath the knee of a white police officer, divided fans after it aired during the live show.

Viewers took to Twitter in the aftermath of the episode airing on September 5, complaining about the politicisation of the ITV1 prime-time show.  

The response has made it the second most complained about TV moment of all time, just behind Roxanne’s Pallett’s notorious appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, with a record 25,237 objections.

ITV have stood by Diversity troupe leader Ashley after the performance provoked a heated response.  

In a statement the broadcaster told MailOnline that their performance offered an ‘authentic, heartfelt’ response to the issues of 2020 after viewers criticised the routine for ‘politicising’ the show.

They said: ‘Britain’s Got Talent has always been an inclusive show, which showcases diversity and supports strong storytelling in all forms and ITV stands behind the decision to broadcast Diversity’s performance on BGT.

‘Ashley and the group are a great example of the talent, creativity and diversity of modern Britain and their performance was an authentic, heartfelt response to many of the issues and events which have affected society in 2020.’ 

Ashley recently broke his silence about Diversity’s routine during the first semi-final, and welcomed the conversation the complaints have started. 

The dancer addressed both the positive and negative response in a candid video as he revealed he and the group have been the target of ‘racial abuse and threats’ following the dance.  

In the statement, he said: ‘It’s been a lot, everything from racial abuse to threats, to just some really nasty stuff. I’m not going to give light to it, I’m not going to give it any more time than it deserves. 

‘But a lot of the negativity, the nastiness, and the racism shows exactly why these performances and exactly why this conversation that has arisen is so necessary.  Racism is very real, I’ve known it before and I definitely know it now.’ 

He originally began his video by thanking those who had supported Diversity and had shared positive messages and well wishes, even mentioning those who had checked in on the members mental well-being during the aftermath of the routine.

Ashley said: ‘Firstly I want to say thank you to all the people who are supportive of me and Diversity’s performance, who’ve reached out.

‘Honestly it’s overwhelming the positive reaction to what we did. Hundreds of thousands of messages, comments, DMs and interactions in the street. 

‘There’s been what 15-16,000 complaints of negativity thrown back at the performance, but trust me I’m right in the centre of it and the negativity is in the minority.

‘The positive response has been huge so thank you so much everyone who has supported and shown love, stood by what we did.’ 

He added: ‘Everyone who reached out who checked if we were alright, thank you to you as well. 

‘We are good though, we are feeling positive, proud, happy confident and we stand by every single decision that we made for that performance.

‘If I’m honest with you to be able to stand on the very stage that launched Diversity into the limelight as a judge on the panel, standing up for something, using our art to spark nationwide conversation, what more could I ask for as a creative and an artist?

‘To entertain, to get people talking, to cause emotion, that is everything I could have asked for so I am proud and like I said I stand by it so thank you to everyone showing their positivity.’ 

Sharing his decision to remain positive in the face of racist trolls, he went on: ‘After this performance everything that we’ve seen, I don’t know, it’s been overwhelmingly negative sometimes, which is tough.

‘But still, like I said, [I’m] standing strong and feeling so happy with what we’ve done, if that’s what it takes that’s a price I’m absolutely willing to pay.’

Ashley then described the dance routine in full, stipulating that Diversity were giving a ‘summary of 2020’ with their performance tackling topics like lockdown, COVID-19, the NHS, George Floyd’s death and the Black Lives Matter movement.

‘It was layered, it was something we wanted to bring to the stage to bring hope but also not to shy away from difficult conversations and difficult issues that have arisen,’ he said of the dance.  

‘That’s exactly why the question whether Britain’s Got Talent was the right platform was one that I just can’t get on board with. 

‘If an artist or creative can’t use real world issues, universal issues, to inspire their art and come through how they express them then what’s the point?  

‘Britain’s Got Talent has been a stage for so many incredible performers, artists and talents who want to express all different kinds of emotions and views, and stories, human ones.

‘Of course political ideas are going to work into performances because it affects us every single day, universal things that affect us, that is what art is; it’s an expression of how we feel and this set of 2020 is exactly that.’

Explaining that he wanted Diversity’s dance to express the ‘rollercoaster of emotions’ that he and the group have experienced this year, he then addressed the portion of the dance dedicated to the Black Lives Matter movement.

‘The bit that was really seemed to connect with people and agitate, annoy and offend people was the fact that we stood up and said that racism is real and as far as we’re concerned it has to change so that we’re tolerant because Black Lives Matter.

‘Now, a lot of people were offended at the political nature of that statement, but that’s never what we intended, black lives mattered long before it was anything political or affiliated with one set of people with a statement.      

‘Black Lives Matter is a fact. It is and always will be a fact. That’s what I stand by that’s what every single one of my team proudly standby and that’s why we included it in our summary of 2020.’ 

He praised how the Black Lives Matter movement has ‘made its way around the world’ and ‘started the conversation’ about racism across the globe.

‘I’m so glad that this performance has almost ignited the spark of that conversation to be continued again,’ he admitted. 

‘The fact that it was a medium like a dance and it was on a show like Britain’s Got Talent in the mainstream is so important. 

‘Families, schools, homes, friends are now having this conversation about something that is very real and affects so many people.

‘I’m proud, I’m happy and like I said I want to say thank you to everyone who supported us. I don’t want this conversation to end.’

Ashley concluded by reiterating his gratitude to followers who have stood by him and Diversity, and he ‘sent love’ to ‘every single one of you that’s thrown positive energy or negative energy at me and the group.’  

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