Racy performances by Beatrix Von Bourbon on the last series of Britain's Got Talent have been cleared by Ofcom, despite 90 complaints from viewers that they were unsuitable for a family show.During the burlesque performer's appearances on the ITV1 programme earlier in the year, she was shown stripping on the stage to her underwear, a corset and nipple tassels.
At one stage, her breasts were only obscured by gold stars, and she also flashed viewers with her partially covered buttocks.
The routines were shown in a pre-recorded audition in Blackpool on March 31, along with a live semi-final on May 9 - both aired on ITV1 before the 9pm watershed.
Ofcom received 75 complaints about the audition performance and 15 about the live semi-final, mostly over concerns that the material broadcast and themes were "unsuitable for a child audience".
However, the media regulator today (July 23) cleared ITV over the performances, after judging that the broadcaster had ensured that the nudity was "appropriately limited and brief in duration".
ITV had said that Britain's Got Talent "celebrates a variety of entertainment and British talent and therefore showcases a wide range of different types of act, not all of which will always be to everyone's taste".
It said that Von Bourbon's performance was "a highly stylised combination of comedy, mime and dance, rather than simply striptease", and it drew on the "tradition of saucy British humour, rather than being overly erotic or sleazy".
ITV also noted that the performer always finished her routine "clothed", including nipple tassels and "a graphic overlay to further conceal her breasts".
Ofcom said that "some viewers may find the sexualised nature of burlesque performances potentially offensive". But it noted that the images of Von Bourbon in "mildly provocative positions" had only featured "fleeting" nudity.
Ofcom said that some images, such as Von Bourbon's partially obscured buttocks, were on "the margins of acceptability", but the overall view was that her performance was in keeping with Britain's Got Talent.
"Ofcom was of the view therefore that, taken as a whole, the performance by Ms Von Bourbon was presented in a style which would not have exceeded the likely expectations of the audience on the various dates it was broadcast," said the regulator.
"With reference to the content, the performance and partial nudity was in Ofcom's opinion appropriately limited and suitably brief in duration.
"We considered that while some forms of burlesque dancing would be considered inappropriate for a child audience, this performance was presented carefully by the broadcaster to take account of the pre-watershed audience and did not convey an overtly sexualised theme."
However, Ofcom also reminded broadcasters such as ITV that any programmes aimed at a family audience and shown before the watershed must offer appropriate protection for children from any potentially harmful material.
