Amanda Holden, 53, recently found herself in hot water with the BBC after a social media post promoting her business violated the broadcaster’s strict advertising guidelines.
The Instagram post, which has since been removed, showcased the star in a navy blue personalized boiler suit with “Handy Mandy” embroidered on the back, a look she’s frequently worn on her BBC show Amanda and Alan’s Italian Job and its Spanish spin-off.
In the 30-second clip, shared on February 3, Amanda announced her upcoming appearance on QVC, where she would promote products from her interior design range, BundleBerry, which she founded in 2017.
Set to music from the 80s show The A-Team, Amanda was seen measuring and hanging items, with the post labelled as an advertisement. Her long-time friend and co-host Alan Carr, 48, humorously commented, “I recognise that boiler suit.”
However, the post went against the BBC’s commercial guidelines, which state that BBC presenters should not appear in promotional work that mirrors their on-air roles for the corporation. As a result, the BBC asked Amanda to remove the post, reminding her of the rules regarding social media use by BBC talent.
A BBC spokesperson confirmed the action, stating: “Amanda has removed her post and has been reminded of her responsibilities, as a BBC presenter, when using social media.”
This incident mirrors a similar situation involving Nick Knowles in 2021 when the DIY SOS host was reportedly at risk of losing his BBC role after appearing in a commercial for Shreddies, where he played a builder in a way that mimicked his role on the BBC series. Rhod Gilbert temporarily replaced him for a special episode of DIY SOS: Children In Need.
While Amanda has taken down the post, the incident highlights the BBC’s ongoing efforts to enforce its commercial guidelines and maintain the separation between its talent and commercial ventures.
