Sorry about the jokes...
BBC apologises for two shows
The BBC has apologised for jokes aired on Have I Got News For You and Jonathan Ross’s chat show.
More than 350 viewers complained after spoof psychic Shirley Ghostman, the creation of Cyderdelic comic Marc Wooton, appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.
He cracked jokes about Jews and cancer n the BBC1 show
A spokesman for the corporation said: "We are sorry that many viewers felt remarks made by Shirley Ghostman were unacceptable.
"Most viewers are aware of the style and nature of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, but we realise the comments were clearly more extreme to some viewers for whom the spoof nature of this character was perhaps unclear.
"It was certainly not our intention to cause such offence."
The BBC also apologised for jokes about the Pope and MG Rover on Have I Got News For You.
A statement said: "The programme always aims to be entertaining and can often be irreverent, but we certainly don't set out to offend."
Remarks about the Pope were acceptable because of "the enormous amount of positive coverage given to the Pope in BBC programmes recently", it said. "But we recognise that some in our audience may not share this view.”
Published: 20 Apr 2005
