TEENAGER Lucy Buchanan's former headmaster has spoken of his shock after her appearance on a TV reality show sparked a major race row.

Miss Buchanan, 18, a former St Peter's School pupil, has hit the national headlines because of her comments on Channel Four's latest show Shipwrecked.

She told fellow contestants that she supported slavery and wanted a return to the British Empire. She also said she was open to the idea of new cultures, but did not want them brought to Britain.

She said: "I don't like fat people, I don't really like really ugly people, I don't like it when foreigners some into this country and they don't take on British culture and British values."

One of her fellow contestants told her she hated racists to which Lucy replied: "I'm afraid you have one here". Another likened her views to those of Adolf Hitler.

Richard Smyth, head of the York public school which Miss Buchanan attended for two years while studying for A-levels, said he gave his permission for the school to be filmed as part of background information for the show.

He said: "We had a black head of school from Ghana last year, and that is a statement of intent for St Peter's and our system of meritocracy.

"Any student who displayed any racist behaviour would face the most severe disciplinary action.

"Lucy had an unblemished record during the time she was with us. She worked hard and was successful.

"However, I was surprised when she told me that she was going to appear on the TV show."

Mr Smyth added that the school had very clear policies about racism and all pupils attended lessons in personal, health and social education which address issues such as prejudice.

St Peter's also had a stated policy which is printed in a calendar given to pupils each term.

This policy stated: "We believe it is important that everyone is shown consideration and respect, and that all should behave in a supportive and understanding manner towards others.

"Certain forms of behaviour are unacceptable in a civilised school community and these include dishonesty, the use of verbal harassment (teasing) towards other pupils, and any sort of discriminatory comments made or attitudes shown."

Fame and infamy of Old Peterites'

FORMER St Peter's schoolgirl Lucy Buchanan may be making headlines this week, but she is not the first former pupil to grab the limelight.

Throughout the centuries, Old Peterites' have been in the public eye - sometimes as the focus of great controversy.

Guy Fawkes is the most famous or infamous former pupil - notorious for attempting to assassinate King James I in the Gunpowder Plot, having attended St Peter's in the 16th century.

One of York's most renowned former residents, he was tortured and killed for his leading role in the plot to destroy Parliament in 1605.

The school never burnc a "Guy" on its bonfire on November 5, known as Guy Fawkes night, as it is considered bad form to burn old boys.

John Barry, a composer whose most famous works include the James Bond theme, attended the school in the 1940s before going on to win four Academy Awards for the musical scores to films such as Dances With Wolves and Out Of Africa.

He also wrote the scores to a number of musicals including the West End show Billy and Lolita.

Another old boy is Greg Wise, a British actor who has appeared in various television programmes and feature films such as Trial And Retribution and Johnny English. He is well known for playing the character John Willoughby in Sense And Sensibility. He married the actress Emma Thompson in 2003.

John Healey, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury and also the Labour MP for Wentworth, was a pupil at St Peter's in the 1970s. He worked in the voluntary sector, and as a journalist before turning to politics a decade ago.

Primetime programme

SHIPWRECKED is a Channel 4 reality programme set on a tropical island paradise.

The show first aired in 2000 and ran for three series, but in 2006 it was back and the format changed to make the show a competition between two rival groups.

Each group is marooned on a separate island in the South Pacific, known as Shark Island and Tiger Island.

Lucy's fellow islanders may not agree with her comments, but unlike Jade Goody in Celebrity Big Brother, there is no chance for the public to vote her out.

The show is filmed in advance and does not involve any public vote or evictions; in fact the aim of the competition between the two teams is to gain as many contestants as possible.

Every week over a five month period, the groups have to convince a new contestant to join their island over the other. At the end of the time the group with the most members wins £70 000.

The young and attractive contestants have to learn to live in their new environment, including building shelters and creating communities. They have no contact with the outside world and are limited in what toiletries and other supplies they are allowed. Food is very basic; in the last series each island was provided with live chickens, which they could either keep for eggs or slaughter for meat.

However they had to do this themselves.

This series has been moved to a primetime early evening slot instead of its previous Sunday afternoon showing.

Channel 4 under more pressure

CHANNEL 4 is under yet more pressure following the broadcast of Miss Buchanan's views.

Her outburst made it on to the front page of the national newspapers in the wake of the Big Brother furore.

The Sun described Miss Buchanan as being worse than Jade Goody and one photograph of her had as its caption the "voice of hate".

The channel was already under pressure following bullying comments made by Jade Goody in the Big Brother house towards Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty.

Now it is having to deal with a contestant who supports slavery and believes new cultures should not be brought to Britain.

After the reality TV show Shipwrecked was aired on Sunday evening 69 complaints were made to media watchdog Ofcom.

But a spokesman for the channel defended the decision to broadcast Miss Buchanan's views.

She said: "When Lucy airs her opinions they are immediately criticised, so viewers are instantly aware that her peers find them offensive and unacceptable.

"Those who continue to watch Shipwrecked will see, as the series progresses, Lucy's views change as she interacts and is challenged by other contestants."