Dutch television producer Endemol has enraged scores of people in the United Kingdom with its latest plan for the British version of the programme Big Brother. Endemol wants to populate the reality show's house, in which contestants live together under constant observation by TV cameras, with British troops who have lost an arm or a leg in the fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan.

In their efforts to locate former military personnel, Endemol employees made use of Facebook, the social network site. They also, say British media sources, approached military charity groups to find out whether they knew of former troops who had been injured in either of the wars or who were now homeless. The chief executive of the Veterans Fund called the idea "a new low point in reality TV."

In a response to the uproar, Endemol and Channel 4, the British television company that broadcasts Big Brother, issued a joint statement. In it they said that, "Big Brother aims to cast the net far and wide to ensure that a diverse range of people get the opportunity to audition and take part in the programme."