MUMBAI: Australia's third-ranked television broadcaster Ten Network Holdings Ltd. is in the firing line over its reality show Big Brother Uncut.

Critics argue that, the fifth Australian series of Big Brother is the raunchiest yet seen in Australia, with the uncut version featuring regular nudity, views of the contestants in the shower, and a steamy hot-tub romp by two contestants.

Big Brother has a group of strangers locked in a house and gradually voted out by the audience. Local versions of the show are produced around the world, from Britain to South Africa.

The show has now prompted Australian government politicians to demand a review of how much nudity can be shown on free television down under. According to a Reuters report, Government MP Trish Draper raised her concerns at a closed meeting of government MPs and senators after the latest uncut episode of the program, classified for viewers 15 years and older, featured contestants taking nude photographs of each other.

On the other hand, people who had been part of the contest feel the other way. A Reuters report has quoted one of the ex-contestants Michelle as telling that people should switch off their televisions if they did not like what they were watching.

"You put 15 sexually active people in the house who obviously enjoy sex and are young, it is going to happen. We are bored and we are going to do things," said Michelle.

A Ten spokeswoman has been quoted as saying that, the program complied with the existing industry code of practice. The spokeswoman said she had written to the broadcast regulator to examine if the voluntary classification system was adequate for reality television programs.

Ten Network Holdings Ltd. has broadcast the Big Brother series as part of its strategy to target and build up a younger audience.