Brian Belo to sue ‘Essex’

Former Big Brother winner Brian Belo is to sue the makers of The Only Way Is Essex.Belo, who won Big Brother in 2007, claims that broadcaster ITV and production company Lime Pictures took his idea of a reality show based around Essex and created their own version. A high court claim was filed earlier this month by Belo, Sassy Films and Massive TV. It is claimed that The Only Way Is Essex programme infringes copyright and a breach of confidence. Belo claims he has text and emails he sent to Lime Pictures pitching his idea to them.

The name of the programme that Belo was to work on was called ‘Totally Essex’ and a promo was uploaded to YouTube to back up claims made previously. It features some of the stars who went on to become famous in TOWIE, including Amy Childs (pictured) and Mark Wright.

The Media Guardian published a joint statement from ITV and Lime Pictures which said:  “The Only Way is Essex is an original concept created and developed by an award-winning team at Lime Pictures. Brian Belo’s claim against Lime and ITV is totally without foundation and will be vigorously defended.”

The Only Way Is Essex launched on ITV 2 in late 2010 and became a big hit for the digital channel. It went on to win a BAFTA Award last year which was voted by the public, rather than the academy itself.
[Written by Doug Lambert]