BBC hits back after removal of Strictly contestant’s pro-trans T-shirt slogan sparks censorship row

The House of the Dragon actress, paired with professional dancer Nancy Xu, wore a white top bearing the phrase “Protect the Dolls” during rehearsals for their American Smooth routine.

The slogan has become a message of solidarity with transgender women.

However, when pre-recorded training footage aired on Saturday night, the words had been entirely erased, leaving what appeared to be a blank white T-shirt.

Social media users pointed out the erased slogan after spotting a clip of Ms Antonia wearing the T-shirt on Instagram.

In response to the furore, the BBC defended its actions, with a spokesperson saying to GB News: “As is standard practice on any entertainment show on the BBC and in line with our editorial guidelines, appropriate steps are taken to reduce the inclusion of any overt branding or slogans that may be present, regardless of the wording or statement in question.”

The editing of the slogan wasn’t reserved solely for Saturday’s live broadcast, however.

The video montage of celebrities training, which clearly showed the actress in the T-shirt, was subsequently replaced with an amended version that cut away to shots of Ms Xu instead.

The backlash has poured in against the BBC in the days since, with critics describing the decision as “shameful,” “cowardly” and “genuinely pathetic.”

Replying to pop culture X account SuperTV247, which highlighted the editorial decision, one fellow X user fumed: “Wow, f*** the @BBC. Wasn’t much a***d about her, but she’ll be getting my 5 votes every week from now on.”

A second echoed: “F*** the @bbc, so glad I stopped paying the license fee years ago.”

“So the BBC is institutionally transphobic,” a third claimed, while a fourth slammed: “Deeply disappointed. But unfortunately not surprised, the BBC is getting more homophobic and transphobic by the day it seems. The whole country is.”

And a fifth concurred: “This is absolutely disgusting what the actual f***.” (sic)

It has also been reported that the decision to edit Ms Antonia’s clothing has prompted concerns within the corporation.

A source claimed to The Sun: “The BBC takes remarks like the ones posted on social media seriously. But the handling of this has been rather poor.

“The celebs and pros do wear tops with writing or slogans occasionally, and those haven’t been blurred.

“Removing this one has resulted in a pile-on, and it’s not a good look.”

Ms Antonia, who is 28 and from Birmingham, has spoken openly about the personal significance of being part of one of Strictly’s same-sex pairings.

She told Radio Times that watching Nicola Adams and Katya Jones become the show’s first same-sex couple in 2020 was transformative: “I wasn’t out to everyone in my life. Watching them do the show… made it so much easier for me to have that conversation with people.”

The actress revealed she had insisted on dancing with a woman as a condition of joining the programme. “It was so important to me to make sure that if I did it, I got to do it with a woman,” she said.

“If I have the opportunity to do that for another young girl who might be coming out, who might be questioning their sexuality or their gender, I absolutely am going to take the opportunity.”

Ms Antonia will return to the dancefloor next weekend. Sunday’s elimination saw actress Melanie Waters bow out of the contest.