Threatening e-mails were sent to Celebrity Big Brother housemates last night after 10,000 complaints about the alleged racist bullying of one contestant.

Hertfordshire Constabulary would not say if the two e-mails were related to the furore surrounding the comments made by several housemates about the Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty.

A spokesman said: “Hertfordshire Constabulary has been made aware of two e-mails that have been received by the television studios that contain unspecified threats against a number of the housemates.”

The spokesman also confirmed that police had received a complaint about comments made about the actress at the Big Brother house in Elstree and a decision would be taken today whether to begin an investigation.

Police involvement came as media watchdogs said that they cannot intervene to halt the treatment of Shetty on the Channel 4 reality show.

The actress has been called a “dog” and contestants have complained about her touching their food. The pop singer Jo O’Meara declared that Indians were thin because they were always ill as a result of undercooking food. Shetty’s accent has been mocked and she was asked if she lived in a shack.

Channel 4 has denied claims that Shetty had been called a “Paki”.

Ofcom, the media watchdog, said that it had received 7,600 complaints, the highest number since the BBC screened Jerry Springer — The Opera. It said that it will investigate whether the programme has breached broadcasting rules.

Channel 4 has received a further 2,000 e-mails and calls.

Carphone Warehouse said that it was reviewing its sponsorship of Big Brother and did not rule out abandoning the arrangement.

Charles Dunstone, its chief executive, told The Times: “We are talking to Channel 4. The sponsorship is constantly under review. Clearly, we are against racism.”

He said that responsibility for the content of Big Brother lay with the programme maker. “Most people understand that the person who has their name associated with the programme does not necessarily condone the content.”

Carphone Warehouse has been sponsoring the show since 2004. It pays an estimated £3 million a year for Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother.

Keith Vaz, the Labour MP, tabled a Commons motion calling on Channel 4 to take “urgent action to remind housemates that racist behaviour is unacceptable”.

Complaints have been registered on the website digitalspy.co.uk. One viewer wrote: “As an Indian, I feel thoroughly ashamed. It seems racism is still rife in this country.”

The actress signed up for the show, which has another two weeks to run, to demonstrate that Indians are “modern, intelligent and glamorous”. Shetty said on entering the house: “The only thing I really hope to keep is my self-respect and my dignity.”

Channel 4 said that it did not tolerate bullying or racist abuse but believed that social interactions of the group were “part of the Big Brother story and viewers have a right to see these portrayed accurately. This is balanced with our duty not to broadcast material that may cause unjustifiable offence”.

The broadcaster did not believe that racist comments had been made and said that Shetty had made no complaint to producers.

Under Big Brother rules, a contestant guilty of racist abuse could be thrown out, but when one told a “Paki” joke in 2002, he received a verbal reprimand.

Housemates accused of abusing Shetty include Danielle Lloyd, a model, and Jade Goody, a former Big Brother contestant. The charity Act Against Bullying has dropped Goody from its literature.

Channel 4 would be reluctant to turf out housemates. Three have left voluntarily and viewing figures are down on last year.

Candid camera

Jade Goody on Shilpa Shetty: “She makes me feel sick. She makes my skin crawl.”
Danielle Lloyd “She’s a dog.”
After Shetty made roast chicken for the group, Jo O’Meara said: “I don’t trust that chicken. I want to eat it but I’m scared.”
Lloyd “You don’t know where those hands have been.”
Jackiey Budden, Goody’s mother, to Shetty: “Do you live in a house or a shack?” She called Shetty “the Indian” and refused to pronounce her name. Lloyd to Shetty: “Do you get stubble?”
O’Meara “Like a man.”
Lloyd to Jade “She wants to be white.”
Jack Tweed called Shetty a “c***”.
Shetty: “Why do they hate me? Why am I detested?”
“Were they bullying Shilpa last night?” asked Jermaine Jackson.
“Yeah,” replied Ian “H” Watkins. “I’m not playing those games. I’m not going to be part of it.”