THE Archbishop of York turned down an offer to appear on Celebrity Big Brother, adding: "We don't do celebrity."

Outspoken Dr John Sentamu, the second most senior cleric in the Church of England, has also voiced concerns about the cult of celebrity.

He is frequently approached by TV editors and newspapers for his views, but said the hit Channel 4 show was a programme too far.

His spokesman, Arun Arora, who took the call from the producers of Celebrity Big Brother in October, said: "We don't do celebrity. The Archbishop has turned down invitations to appear on panel shows, such as Have I Got News For You and celebrity-based formats such as Celebrity Big Brother.

"He has a good track record of constructive engagement with the wider media, but where the message stops being about Jesus and starts being about him then he has no hesitation in saying no."

The announcement follows an interview conducted with the Archbishop in the Independent newspaper where he responded to a question sent in by a reader on reality television.

In response to the question: "Is reality television immoral and a malign influence?", the Archbishop said: "Celebrity is certainly something I neither crave nor desire. I lost no sleep at all turning down Celebrity Big Brother.

"I think that celebrity can be malign in that it becomes a form of idolatry and people live their lives vicariously through the rich and famous rather than attending to their own lives."

Dr Sentamu, a Ugandan, was appointed the Church of England's first black Archbishop last year.