Bruce Forsyth defends Strictly 'paki' joke

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Strictly Come Dancing presenter Bruce Forsyth was today at the centre of a race row after telling the nation to get a "sense of humour" about the word "Paki".

Call to lighten up: Bruce Forsyth

The 81-year-old presenter of the BBC's flagship entertainment programme defended dancer Anton Du Beke for using the term to describe actress Laila Rouass.

Under fire: Bruce Forsyth with fellow presenter Tess Daly

Furious BBC bosses were today set to tell Forsyth to retract his remarks as viewers besieged the corporation with complaints.

A show source said: "What Bruce said was in no way the BBC's position and as the presenter of the programme, he has the opportunity to clarify this before Saturday's show."

Hundreds of people have complained to the BBC after Du Beke made the remark to celebrity dance partner Rouass after she got a spray tan.

Carole Thatcher was sacked in February from the One Show for using the word "golliwog" off-air in the programme's green room. Du Beke's comment was also off-air during a training session two weeks ago.

The BBC's decision not to sack Du Beke — who issued an apology via a statement earlier this week — has prompted accusations of double standards. A BBC spokeswoman claimed Thatcher had not offered an unconditional apology.

In a further bid to defuse the row, Du Beke has been told to apologise on air tomorrow night on sister show It Takes Two. But senior bosses at the BBC are said to be furious at Forsyth's "off-message" remarks on radio station TalkSport yesterday. Forsyth said: "We used to have a sense of humour about this. You go back 25, 30, 40 years and there has always been a bit of humour about the whole thing.

"At one time the Americans used to call us limeys' which doesn't sound very nice, but we used to laugh about it. Everybody has a nickname."

Speaking to Adrian Durham and Darren Gough on Bowtime, Forsyth was asked if Du Beke's apology and Rouass's acceptance of it should be the end of the matter. "Of course it should," said Forsyth yesterday. "OK, he can be a bit mouthy and can say quick things off-the-cuff like I do. If someone says something to me then I'm straight back.

"Quick reflex of the tongue is what we've got. But when you're like that you can slip up every now and again. But I'm sure there was nothing vindictive about what he said and it [Du Beke's apology] should be accepted and the page should be closed on it."

As of this morning the BBC had received 487 complaints from members of the public.

A number of BBC staff are unhappy at the corporation's handling of the row. A senior BBC producer who asked not to be named told the Standard: "A lot of my colleagues think that Du Beke should have gone — and now Bruce has come out and dropped a hand grenade into the whole row. Most people believe the word Paki' is highly offensive."

Former BBC star Kulvinder Ghir, who was part of the BBC hit comedy troupe Goodness Gracious Me, said: "Claiming the word Paki' is harmless is just ignorance. It's as bad as calling somebody a nigger."

Anti-racism campaigners have also attacked Forsyth and the BBC's handling of the row.
Ruhul Tarafder, of Tower Hamlets-based group Bangla 2000, said: "[Paki'] usually accompanied violence and hatred. It is as bad as the N-word."

Several angry listeners phoned Victoria Derbyshire on Radio 5 today to complain.

One listener, described as Aftab from Yorkshire said: "I would find it very offensive if someone called me a Paki'. My father was hospitalised for a week when thugs went Paki'-bashing in the Seventies in our neighbourhood."

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