Filippinos' fury over BBC sketch

Harry Enfield might have sparked an international incident over a BBC sketch branded ‘racist’ in the Philippines.

A Filpina Congresswoman is demanding the Corporation publicly apologise for the ‘revolting’ sketch, in which a pompous middle-class character tries to get his ‘pet Northerner’ to mate with his Filipina housemaid.

Even the country’s ambassador to the UK, Edgardo Espiritu, has joined the chorus of disapproval over the sketch, calling it ‘gutter humour’.

Protesters are now planning to launch an e-mail campaign against the BBC over the Harry And Paul scene, in which Enfield’s character goads the woman to ‘hump’ a clearly uninterested Notherner, as played by Paul Whitehouse.

The row comes as Enfield revealed he was forced to drop a planned character of a sex-crazed Muslim hoodie because producers were afraid of the reaction it might receive.

Congresswoman Risa Hontiveros said today: ‘It was revolting. It was a disgusting and an insensitive and racist attempt to satirise a scene of exploitation.’

Calling on the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs to file a formal complaint to the British government, Ms Hontiveros added: ‘By making a horrible scene of exploitation an object of ridicule, the show trivialises an act of abuse commonly experienced by Filipina workers abroad. It desensitises its audience on human trafficking, an issue that merits global indignation.

‘By making overseas Filipinas appear as submissive sex objects, it reinforces the notion that foreigners could easily hire small and sexy Filipina domestic helpers and goad them into becoming sexual objects.

‘We are not asking for BBC to be politically correct. What we want them to recognise instead is that the exploitation of women should not be used as an object of ridicule. The media should be a partner against human trafficking, and not an unwitting promoter of abuse because of insensitive and racist portrayals of women in trafficking.’

‘We hope that the UK government would likewise look into this issue and correct this sickening joke. The show does not exactly promote the stance against trafficking and abuse of women that the UK government has taken in the past.’

The offending clip, which was broadcast on BBC One on September 26, can be viewed here.

Published: 6 Oct 2008