Boy George has been told by a judge at the High Court that he can't appear on Celebrity Big Brother because of probation rules.

The former Culture Club singer was hoping to be able to appear on the forthcoming final series of the Channel 4 show. However, his Probation Service band means he is forbidden by law, he was told today (December 23) by Mr Justice Bean at the London court, reports BBC News.

George's legal team had been attempting to lift the ban following his prison stint for imprisoning a male escort earlier this year.

A spokesperson for the Probation Service said: "We believe we made a common sense direction and this has been endorsed by the judge. We expect offenders to keep to their licence conditions which are in place to protect the public, punish offenders for their crime and aid rehabilitation."