BBC responds after Strictly edits out Bethany Antonia's "Protect the Dolls' T-shirt from broadcast

The BBC has responded after Strictly Come Dancing viewers noticed that a T-shirt with the slogan "Protect the Dolls", worn by actress and contestant Bethany Antonia, was edited out of the live broadcast and the BBC iPlayer programme.

During Saturday night's broadcast, the House of the Dragon star and her pro partner, Nancy Xu, were shown rehearsing their American Smooth. In some shots, Bethany was seen wearing a plain white T-shirt.

However, a video that was reportedly uploaded and then taken down from the show's social media showed that the T-shirt actually contained the words "Protect the Dolls" - a slogan and solidarity movement supporting transgender women.

The BBC has responded to shots of the T-shirt being edited, telling Radio Times in a statement: “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.”

Radio Times has also contacted Bethany's reps for comment.

Bethany recently spoke out about the importance of her same-sex partnership with Nancy on the show.

She told Radio Times: "It feels like the biggest privilege in the world. I have been quite open about this, but watching Nicola [Adams] and Katya [Jones] do this in 2020 was a huge part of my life.

"It was a huge part of watching people in my family accept this beautiful show that we'd watched for years and years and years, and see this new way of the girls doing it together, and then being so accepting and exciting about it made me feel proud."

Bethany explained that she had thought to herself if she ever gets the chance to appear on Strictly, "it has to be with a woman", adding: "And so now it just feels like I can't believe that we're here and we're doing it. And it was a thing that I talked into existence, so it feels like a real privilege."

Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday 17 October on BBC One and iPlayer.

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Authors

Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.