- Fri Mar 14, 2003 6:28 pm
#64507
BBC denies charity Fame show 'fix'
by Derek Robins
BBC bosses have denied that tonight's Comic Relief Does Fame Academy has been fixed so Ruby Wax will triumph over Will Mellor.
Favourite Casualty's Kwame Kwei-Armah was surprisingly voted out last night by his fellow students 6-1.
Now dozens of fans on the show's website have claimed the result was a fix. One said: "I can't believe what I have see. Kwame is the best singer, with Will a close second and Ruby is just not in the same league."
A BBC spokesman said: "The show is about performance on stage, not just vocal ability. Ruby has entertained viewers and fellow students and this has been reflected in their votes."
On Thursday Will Mellor got 44% of the vote and Kwame Kwei-Armah was axed by the votes of his celeb ex-students, allowing Ruby to survive.
One show fan, on the web, said: "Can anyone really believe that Ruby's amateurish attempts to sing were really better than the polished, velvet voice of Kwame Kwei-Armah?" Another added: "If Headmaster Richard Park has anything to do with it, Ruby will win tonight."
In spite of these claims, the show has been a huge success, already raising more than £500,000 for the charity from nearly 3.7m phone votes. More than 1m people voted on Thursday night. Ratings have also gone through the roof with the series beating the original show. On Wednesday it was seen by 9.4m. A BBC spokesman said: "It's been an amazing success."
Aled?