Comedian Katherine Ryan, who guest-hosted Have I Got News For You on November 7, referenced a 2013 private email in which Sir David Beckham allegedly used the word “c***.”
She said: “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.”
The BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) upheld a viewer complaint, stating: “There was no such justification for a comment which presented Victoria Beckham as equivalent to a particularly offensive word.”
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Katherine Ryan (Image: Agency)
The ECU found that while the panel’s use of the word was editorially justified in the context of Sir David’s reported use, extending it to refer to his wife was not.
The ruling acknowledged that two viewers found the remark “gratuitously offensive.”
In response, the BBC will replace the current version of the episode on iPlayer with an edited version.
The ECU also clarified in its ruling that while BBC editorial guidelines do not require programmes to avoid causing offence altogether, any offence caused must be editorially justified.
The broadcaster has taken action to address the issue following the ruling.
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