Highlights
- A joke about Victoria Beckham on Have I Got News for You has been removed from BBC iPlayer.
- The gag came during a discussion involving David Beckham’s past comments about the honours system.
- The BBC ruled that the joke was not editorially justified after two viewers complained.
The gag was made by comedian Katherine Ryan while discussing an old controversy involving David Beckham and the UK honours system. The BBC has since ruled that the joke was not editorially justified.
What was the joke about?
The discussion centred on a 2013 private email in which David Beckham allegedly referred to the honours committee as a “bunch of c***ts” after he was passed over for a knighthood.
During the episode, panellist Maisie Adam joked about Beckham eventually receiving a knighthood.
Ryan, who was guest presenting the episode, then turned to the other panellists and brought Victoria Beckham into the joke.
“I don’t know that we are allowed to broadcast the C-word, but you did reference Victoria Beckham earlier and we’ll allow that,” she said.
The comment prompted complaints from two viewers, who described the joke as “gratuitously offensive”.
Why did the BBC remove it?
The BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit reviewed the complaints and concluded that there was no justification for presenting Victoria Beckham as equivalent to the offensive word.
The unit said BBC editorial guidelines do not require programmes to avoid causing offence, but any offence caused must be editorially justified.
The original episode has since been edited, with the joke removed from the version available on BBC iPlayer.
The ruling was also reported to senior BBC content leaders.
It is not the first BBC comedy edit this week
The decision comes days after the BBC confirmed that several sketches from That Mitchell and Webb Look had been removed ahead of the comedy series’ return to iPlayer for its 20th anniversary.
As many as 11 sketches were cut, including sketches involving blackface. The decision has drawn criticism from some comedians, including John Cleese, who accused the BBC of “social engineering”.
The latest ruling means another comedy moment has now been removed from a BBC programme following complaints.
