The BBC has been plunged into yet another reality TV crisis as "The Apprentice" faces intense scrutiny over a catastrophic failure in contestant vetting. Just days before the new season’s premiere, a decade-old digital trail of bile has exposed the corporation’s inability to police its own talent.

In a revelation that has stunned the production team, offensive tweets by contestant Levi Hodgetts-Hague have come to light, featuring racial slurs, misogyny, and support for far-right figures. The scandal forces a reckoning for the public broadcaster: how, in an era of forensic digital background checks, did a candidate with such a volatile social media footprint walk into Lord Sugar’s boardroom?

A Digital Trail of Hate

The uncovered posts paint a disturbing picture of the 33-year-old contestant’s online history. Among the most egregious are tweets describing Muslims as "dirty," labelling women as "slags" and "dogs," and referring to police officers as "pigs." Perhaps most damaging for a show that prides itself on diversity is the revelation of his vocal support for far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

The BBC’s response was swift but defensive. A spokesperson claimed the corporation was "completely unaware" of the comments, a statement that has done little to quell the backlash. "The views presented are totally unacceptable and we are taking this extremely seriously," the broadcaster stated, shifting the blame squarely onto the independent production company, Naked.

The production firm has been ordered to conduct an immediate and "full review" of its vetting protocols. "The process has clearly failed in this instance," the BBC admitted, signalling a potential legal and contractual fallout behind the scenes.

A Pattern of Problematic Casting

This incident is not an anomaly; it is part of a recurring pattern that suggests a systemic blind spot in the show’s casting machinery. The vetting "failure" joins a growing list of controversies plaguing the franchise:

• Dr. Asif Munaf (2024): Struck off the medical register after his antisemitic, racist, and sexist posts were exposed following his appearance on the show.
• Lottie Lion (2019): Accused of telling a fellow contestant to "shut up Gandhi" in a WhatsApp group, sparking a racism row that dominated the season’s narrative.
• Katie Hopkins (2006): The original provocateur whose career was launched by the show, proving that controversy often trumps character in the casting process.

The Responsibility Vacuum

Julian Henry, a veteran celebrity PR expert, argues that the blame game is futile. While the BBC commissions the show, he asserts that Naked, the production company, bears "ultimate responsibility for any dodgy talent expressing inappropriate views, past or present."

The scandal raises uncomfortable questions about the ethics of reality TV casting. Is the "villain edit" now being cast for real? By selecting candidates with "ruthless" personalities for entertainment value, producers may be inadvertently—or negligently—platforming individuals with genuinely dangerous views. As the new season airs this Thursday, the drama in the boardroom will likely be overshadowed by the toxicity outside it.