A man has defended stripping on controversial TV show Naked Education - because "it's nothing worse than what they see online." The Channel 4 programme features a panel of adults naked or partially clothed in front of a roomful of teens in a bid to educate them on what real bodies look like.
The second episode - about male bodies and penis size - aired last night, and 920 people complained to Ofcom. Liam Halewood, 36, a singer from Blackpool is set to feature on a future episode about cosmetic surgery - but kept his undies on.
The Boy George tribute act defended the programme and those who stripped naked - clapping back at complainers. He said: "There's nothing perverse about the show, in my opinion.
"Any child with a mobile phone can pick it up and search and nudity is accessible to them already. It's nothing worse than what they see online - and that stuff isn't consensual by the parents, whereas this is.
"On social media, everything is filtered and edited and on this show, there is a real body."
He added: "If you don’t want to watch the show, there’s an off button. Have your opinion, but there's no room for hate.
"I think every show gets complaints. This show is just one of those shows that would always spark controversy. But it was all above board - the children and their parents had consented and it is educational.
"It's nothing they couldn't find on their phones on social media - it's not new to them! There's nothing perverse about what we have done - the real meaning behind the show is positivity.
"A lot of people complaining will have read headlines and not even watched the full show. They need to open their minds and see it for what it is - it's not just about nudity.
"It's a show about helping a generation. People are all entitled to their own opinions, but please keep an open mind.
"It’s a full show about helping a generation."
He said each young person who appeared on the show consented - as did their parents. Liam decided to go on the Channel 4 show, which is currently airing on a weekly basis, to help teens of today see "real bodies".
He said: "My motivation was really simple, to show children not to look at social media and see perfection - because images are so filtered these days. I’m so happy with how I look now. I want to relay that it's ok to be yourself and be accepted for who you are.
"I feel confident in my body and I'm not an 'Instagrammable' person - it's good to show people you can just be yourself. I think the show will really help a child's confidence growing up to know we’re all different shapes and sizes.
"We all look and are born different, and what is the 'perfect' look anyway?"
Liam - who spent £20k to look like Boy George - features in a yet-to-be-aired episode on cosmetic surgery. He had 10 different facial surgeries to make himself resemble the singer - including botox, fillers, hair transplants and chin surgery.
He's also had eyebrow shaping, skin peels, fillers in his face and lips, non-surgical jaw alignment and hair transplants. He had since decided he doesn’t need to go to such extreme lengths to resemble his idol and is filler-free and hasn’t gone under the knife since 2018.
He said: "I went through a phase of getting surgery because I wanted to create a flawless look for myself and get into show business. But I stopped in 2018 because I realised I get booked for gigs for the way I sing, not the way I look.
"I can make myself look close enough to Boy George by putting on my makeup and hat. I went down the wrong route, but then I thought, Boy George didn’t change himself to fit the mould of society, he moulded society to accept him.
"He’s not flawless, so why should I be."
