Paul Merson left fuming after learning his debut Strictly Come Dancing dance would be to controversial and ‘racist’ football anthem Vindaloo

As a lifestyle expert with years of experience under my belt, I find myself deeply troubled by the BBC’s decision to assign Paul Merson the controversial song “Vindaloo” for his Strictly Come Dancing debut. With a career spanning several decades and multiple scandals plaguing the show in recent months, it seems the producers have forgotten their own woke agenda.

The disputed World Cup song, often criticized as racially insensitive, was a favorite among football rowdies.

When Paul Merson learned that his first dance on Strictly would be to the contentious song Vindaloo, he couldn’t help but feel quite upset about it.

The initial pre-recorded episode’s attendees claimed that producers asked Merson to reshoot the scene where he learned his assigned song, urging him to express a more positive response instead.

A spectator during the shoot last week shared with The Mail on Sunday, “Paul seemed quite agitated. The celebrities and their partners were informed about the songs they’d be performing. Many received beautiful classics – but Paul was handed ‘Vindaloo.’

In 1998 during the World Cup held in France, the song “Vindaloo” by Fat Les served as an unofficial anthem, with Merson participating. However, it was later criticized as being racially insensitive and became popular among football fans known for hooliganism.

The onlooker added: ‘You can’t blame him for thinking he is being set up to be the joke act, but also the connotations of it [the song] are also not exactly positive either.

‘It has been accused of being racist and the song that far-Right football hooligans sing.

It seems quite inconsiderate of the BBC to award a spot on ‘Strictly’ to one of their own stars, considering the numerous controversies that have surrounded the show over the past nine months. On this particular instance, it appears the BBC may have neglected their commitment to inclusivity and social awareness.

Vindaloo is a song that has lyrics penned by comedian Keith Allen, while its music was collaboratively created by Blur’s bassist, Alex James, and Guy Pratt.

However, there were hints of racial undertones since the original idea for the film originated from an argument Allen allegedly had with Asian author Farrukh Dhondy on a now-extinct BBC talk show called The Late Show in 1989.

In the conversation about political correctness, Allen expressed to Dhondy: “It’s not that you have a personal grudge, but rather it’s like a fiery curry called Vindaloo.

Later on, Allen asserted that he employed the term ‘vindaloo’ due to its fake ethnic connotation, as it was initially believed to have originated in Portugal. Moreover, in 2016, Nick Ahad – a BBC presenter with a Bangladeshi father – shared an incident where a group of white men yelled “Vindaloo” at him while driving past their window.

Last month, Merson was unveiled as a contestant on Strictly, mirroring the path of his ex-Arsenal colleague Tony Adams who danced last year – reaching week eight but choosing not to compete in the dance-off following a vote that placed him in the bottom two.

Regarding his choice to enroll, Merson, aged 56, who has previously represented teams like Middlesbrough and Aston Villa, expressed to The Mail on Sunday: “I’m taking this step in honor of my mother.

Without my father’s support, I wouldn’t be a footballer – he always took me to different places to play football. I want to repay my mother in some way.

My mother has always been underappreciated for her worth. Her preferred television show is where I vowed to appear. However, I’m unsure of the extent to which I might end up making a fool of myself.

The Sky Sports pundit added: ‘I’m well out of my comfort zone. I’ve danced three times before and my weddings. No slow dancing. But God loves a trier.’

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2024-09-08 00:18