Taunted stars of Celebrity Fame Academy have hit back at judge Craig Revel Horwood for being so rude about their performances.

"All he does is sit there and tell people they're rubbish," said former Young Ones star Ade Edmondson.

And Pub Landlord star Al Murray, who was the first to be booted off the show, said: "It seems mean-spirited to have a go at us.

"We're all just having a laugh and trying to raise money for charity."

Opera singer Lesley Garrett, Horwood's fellow judge, chipped in: "We are meant to be encouraging these people, not killing them off."

The arguments raged after the first episode of the series, which aims to raise money for Comic Relief, the Daily Star reports.

Horwood branded the celebs' first efforts as "cheesy", "out of tune" and "rubbish", and even told the audience to "p*** off" when they booed him.

Edmondson, who sang Tainted Love, added angrily: "If you're going to sit there and tell people they're rubbish - well, what a crap job to have.

"This is for charity. You could say it with a little more grace."

But Craig defended his comments, saying: "My job is to judge what I see - and some of the acts I saw were pretty appalling."

Celebs taking part in the charity show, the final of which will be screened on Red Nose Day on March 11th, include Blue Peter's Konnie Huq, EastEnders babe Kim Medcalf, Corrie's Debra Stephenson and DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles.