London:Expressing its profound regret for any offence caused to viewers, Channel 4 hassaid it was launching a review into its 'Big Brother' reality show followingracist bullying of Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty by fellow contestants thatsparked an international row.

Speaking outside Channel 4's offices following a board meeting to discuss thefuture of the show last night, its Chairman Luke Johnson said Celebrity BigBrother would remain on air until its completion next week, but it hascommissioned a review of the "editorial and compliance processes"which support it.

"Clearly many people were worried and offended by what they saw. I want toreassure them that we take the views of our audience very seriously andprofoundly regret any offence that may have been caused.

"All board members of Channel 4 abhor racism. We are also committed toensuring that the Channel continues to fulfil its remit to explore importantsocial issues," he said.

The statement came as senior managers briefed the board's eight non-executivemembers on the network's handling of the damaging row about racist bullying ofShilpa Shetty.

Johnson said the board would receive a full report and would seek to identifylessons that could be learned for the future. The broadcaster had been facingcalls to axe the show completely.