Comic Relief did not break rules

Watchdogs have cleared the BBC for airing a Comic Relief sketch in which Rowan Atkinson parodied the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The six-minute skit attracted almost 500 complaints to regulator Ofcom, as well as more than 2,200 to the BBC itself.

Viewers complained that the scene, which aired in March, broke rules about offensive language, and discrimination and offence against religious beliefs.

In the guise of the Archbishop, Atkinson’s jokes comparing One Direction to Jesus's disciples, saying prayer ‘doesn't work’ and advising viewers that Jesus said ‘love your neighbours’, but not ‘shag your neighbours’.

Atkinson’s own brother Rodney was among the critics, saying: ‘My main problem was the smuttiness … The use of the word “shag” was crude and rather pathetic. The performance could be seen as insulting to Christians as a whole. I was appalled by it.'

The BBC caved into the complaints, quickly issuing an apology and removing the sketch from its iPlayer catch-up service.

However, Ofcom has today announced that the pre-watershed sketch was ‘not in breach’ of the Broadcasting Code, in a decision contained in a small panel in its 118-page fortnightly bulletin about its ruling

An Ofcom spokesman later told Chortle: ' After careful consideration, Ofcom has found the material not in breach of the Broadcasting Code. In reaching this decision we took into consideration the context of the material.

'This included that Comic Relief is widely known for featuring irreverent and often absurd comedy sketches; the intention of the sketch was to create humour rather than seriously deride Christianity; and that the BBC took immediate action on the night of the broadcast, including issuing an apology for the tone of the sketch, removing it from BBC iPlayer and withdrawing a follow-up sketch due for broadcast later in the evening.'

Published: 1 Jul 2013