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Paramount Global‘s UK network Channel 5 has been forced to pull a documentary from its schedule this evening hours before broadcast after allegations emerged one of its contributors is a “hardline Nazi.”
Nikki Shaw, who was reportedly set to appear as a historian in 1928: The Year The Thames Flooded, is alleged to have posted racist and homophobic messages on social media. Images of a woman claimed to be Shaw performing a Nazi salute and licking a lollipop with a swastika symbol on it were also shared.
A Channel 5 spokesperson confirmed the show had been dropped from its schedule, saying: “We will not be airing the film this evening whilst producers look into this further.”
The program was scheduled for 9pm but a re-run of Beast from the East: The Big Freeze of 2018 was played in its place. It is rare for a channel to pull a show so close to launch, highlighting the serious nature of the allegations. Channel 5 did not confirm if a formal investigation was underway.
This comes after Hope Not Hate, a British anti-fascist organization, posted a thread on Twitter/X exposing Shaw’s alleged ties to leaders of far-right groups and describing her as a “hardline Nazi.”
The thread referred to a Facebook account she allegedly operates under the name Bunty McBint. The page is “riddled with vile racism and dehumanising language,” including deeply offensive language about Black people, “race mixers” and the singer Sam Smith. A recent post attributed to the page of an ITN Productions program promotion noted she was set to appear in the doc, according to Hope Note Hate.
Deadline was unable to independently verify the posts as the Facebook account appeared to have been deleted or hidden. Shaw could not be contacted for comment this evening.
ITN Productions, which is listed as the program’s producer on Shaw’s alleged post about her appearance, had not responded to requests for comment at press time. According to a production source, a production company is usually understood to be responsible for background checks and due diligence on contributors.
A similar issue arose in 2020, when Sky History was forced to axe competition show The Chop: Britain’s Top Woodworker after it emerged a contestant’s tattoos appeared to display Nazi iconography.
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