BBC Censors Bethany Antonia’s “Protect The Dolls” Shirt on 'Strictly Come Dancing'

People are blasting the BBC online after the public service broadcaster appeared to censor a T-shirt with a positive message about transgender people last Saturday night.On October 9, a video was posted on BBC’s Instagram of House of the Dragon actress Bethany Antonia during a dance rehearsal for competition show Strictly Come Dancing session. In the video, Antonia, who plays Lady Baela Targaryen on the HBO series, can be seen dancing with her professional partner Nancy Xu, wearing a pair of green pants and a white T-shirt that reads “Protect The Dolls.” While the shirt was clearly visible in the post shared to social media, the shirt’s logo was blurred out when the training session aired on television to Strictly’s audience on Saturday, October 10.Designed by Conner Ives for London Fashion Week in 2025, and the shirt and slogan has since been worn by a number of big name stars like Pedro Pascal, Troye Sivan, Addison Rae, Tilda Swinton, and more, and refers to the need to protect trans women in a society that renders transfeminine people hypervisible and vulnerable. Per The Guardian, proceeds from the sale of the shirt goes directly to U.K. trans charity, Not A Phase. When questioned about the apparent censorship, the BBC put out a statement saying, “As is standard practice on any entertainment show on the BBC and in line with our editorial guidelines, appropriate steps are taken to reduce the inclusion of any overt branding or slogans that may be present, regardless of the wording or statement in question,” confirming their choice to blur out the slogan.The BBC also posted a more recent edit of last week’s training session on October 10 to its Instagram, featuring a number of the pairs competing. In this particular edit, moments and clips that feature Antonia wearing her shirt have been cut just short of featuring the T-shirt. See on Instagram People on Instagram aren’t letting the BBC off easy in the comments section of the more recent edit. A nu