POLITICIANS and family groups yesterday called on the Ten Network to axe Big Brother after two contestants were thrown off thereality show for sexual misconduct, only a week after its Adults Only version was pulled.

Queensland police yesterday examined video footage of the incident that aired on the program’s live internet site at 4am on Saturday.

Contestant Ashley, real name Michael Cox, 20, and 21-year-old John, real name Michael Bric, climbed into the bed of 22-year-old Camilla Halliwell. Boxer short-clad Mr Cox pushed his crotch in her face as Mr Bric held her down.

Police questioned Ms Halliwell yesterday but did not receive a formal complaint and ruled out a criminal investigation.

Last Friday, Big Brother: Adults Only was stopped by Ten after complaints from Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce about behaviour which has included the telecast of unisex nude showering scenes.

Communications Minister Helen Coonan said yesterday she would ask the broadcasting regulator to determine whether the footage had breached any code of conduct. “I want to make it very clear as a parent and a minister that this is very serious,” Senator Coonan said.

She confirmed she had contacted Ten chief executive John McAlpine, who had assured her the footage would not be played or promoted.

Opposition Leader Kim Beazley also criticised the show.

“If my advice is worth anything to the folk who run Channel Ten, and how they choose to conduct themselves is their business, I’d say, `Make this Big Brother the last’,” he said.

Family First senator Steve Fielding said the show should be axed, asking: “How many more warnings before action is taken? How many more sleazy incidents do we need before this show is evicted?”

Victorian Family Council secretary Bill Muehlenberg said the show should be axed immediately, but believed some at Ten would be “rubbing their hands in glee” at the publicity.

But Hermann Bric, the father of Michael, described the incident as a “beat-up” used for publicity by Big Brother, with the show’s production company telling him not to speak publicly about the allegations.

“There was Friday night games and there was alcohol involved and there was some different opinions and things got out of hand,” Mr Bric said. “Obviously they were playing up for the cameras. It was actually extremely mild and it was all fun. He said everyone was laughing.”

Last night on the show, Ms Halliwell said the incident was “just in fun”.

“I wasn’t offended as such but I did think they took it a little bit too far,” she said. “But, you know, we laughed it off.

“I think as soon as I said enough’s enough, it stopped. I’ve known these guys for a while and we were just mucking around.”

Sydney university associate professor Catharine Lumby, an adviser to the show last year, said the protocols she drafted with NSW Rape Crisis Centre manager Karen Willis for handling a situation such as Saturday’s had been followed.

“They’ve made very clear that this is completely unacceptable behaviour,” she said.

BIG BOTHER

Big Brother has led to controversy worldwide

* 2001: A martial arts expert on the Portuguese edition was expelled after kicking a female housemate in the stomach.

* 2001: A housemate was removed from the US edition after holding a knife to the throat of the housemate he was kissing and asking, “Would you get mad if I just killed you?”.

* 2003: On discovering his ex would be in the US house, a contestant was removed after he started trashing furniture.

* 2004: Security guards went into the British house when a fight erupted after two contestants, who had been part of a fake eviction, re-entered the house.

* 2005: Australian housemate Michael Farnsworth was massaging the shoulders of another housemate when he rubbed his penis in her hair without her knowledge. The footage breached the MA classification of Big Brother Uncut.