Mock The Week in breach of BBC guidelines
October 20, 2009
Mock The Week, the long running satirical gameshow hosted by comedian Dara O’Briain has come under fire from the BBC Trust and has been forced to apologise for remarks made by a panelist about Olympic swimmer, Rebecca Adlington. The BBC Trust has ruled that comments made by Frankie Boyle were both offensive and humiliating.
Seventy-five people complained to the BBC after the show was aired in 2008. Last December Mock The Week’s producer said that he apologized and could see that Boyle’s remarks were perhaps a little out of order. The offensive comments were made when the Beijing Olympics were very much in the public eye.
The BBC Trust has ruled that the innuendo and sexually offensive remarks were not editorially justifiable because Ms. Adlington had never courted publicity or any kind of celebrity status and should therefore be exempt from such comments being made about her through a public forum. Similar complaints about a panelist’s comments on the Queen were not upheld by the BBC Trust.
Frankie Boyle has announced that he will be stepping down from his role on Mock The Week to pursue other commitments. A spokesperson for the gameshow said that he had been a fantastic team member.
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