BBC's Beadle gag gaffe

The BBC repeated a comedy show that made a jokey reference to Jeremy Beadle having died, just hours after he passed away.

A rerun of radio comedy The Museum Of Everything on digital channel BBC7 last night contained a chance remark 'in memorial' to the practical joker – even though it originally aired three years ago, long before his fatal illness.

In the episode, the museum announcer says: ‘The Jeremy Beadle Memorial Gallery of Hilarious Practical Jokes is now open on the fifth floor. Ha ha ha. It’s actually on the third floor. Brilliant! You should have seen your face.’

The line was read by TittyBangBang’s Lucy Montgomery – and originally aired on Radio 4 in April 2005, as part of the show’s second series.

The BBC said it had received no complaints about the show, which was written by its stars, Marcus Brigstocke, Danny Robins and Dan Tetsell.

A spokesman said: ‘It wasn’t offensive to Jeremy himself, it was very much about the practical jokes he played.’

Beadle died yesterday at the age of 59, after contracting pneumonia. He had been diagnosed with a mild form of leukaemia in 2005.

In his Eighties heyday, he regularly attracted television audiences of 15 million for Beadle's About and You've Been Framed – and is thought to have raised more than £100 million for charity over his career, for which he received the MBE in 2001.

Published: 31 Jan 2008