BBC orders James Blunt to remove post plugging £1,695 tweed suit he wore in opening episode of Celebrity Traitors
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The BBC ordered singer James Blunt to remove an online post in which he plugged a £1,695 tweed suit he wore in the opening episode of Celebrity Traitors.
Days before the launch of the series, Blunt, 52, uploaded on to his X account a BBC publicity shot of him in the suit.
The picture, with logos for the BBC and Celebrity Traitors, appeared with a link to the X account of Barrington Ayre, a Cotswolds-based tailor which supplied Blunt with the suit.
Blunt, whose big 2005 hit was You're Beautiful, has two million followers and captioned the post, 'The name's Blunt. James Blunt.'
Editorial guidelines which apply to all BBC talent prohibit stars from exploiting BBC programmes or brands in any advertisements or promotions.
The BBC and Studio Lambert, the production company behind the show, were believed to be unaware of Blunt's post until contacted by The Mail on Sunday.
A BBC insider said: 'As soon as the BBC was alerted, it spoke to all parties and the post was removed from X.'
Celebrity Traitors is a ratings juggernaut with each episode watched by a live audience of upwards of ten million.
The BBC ordered singer James Blunt to remove an online post in which he plugged a £1,695 tweed suit he wore in the opening episode of Celebrity Traitors
Days before the launch of the series, Blunt, 52, uploaded on to his X account a BBC publicity shot, right, of him in the suit
Barrington Ayre posted the same picture of Blunt in the suit on its own website.
Managing director Tom Wharton last night insisted it had no formal commercial relationship with Blunt and there was no prior agreement for him to wear the suit on the BBC programme.
He declined to say how much Blunt had paid for the suit or whether it had been gifted. 'I wouldn't do that with any customer,' he said.
A spokesman for Blunt did not provide a comment.
He is one of the show's army of Faithfuls and has proved popular with both viewers and his fellow contestants.
The former Army Captain has taken the lead in some of the show's group bonding tasks.
A fellow contestant, comedienne Miranda Hart, delighted viewers when she said she found his commanding behaviour 'mildly erotic'.
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