Catherine Tate Christmas special under fire for 'insulting' joke accusing Muslim man of being an Isis terrorist
Tate's 'Nan' is known as a controversial character, but the joke has been deemed insensitive
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Joking about Muslims being terrorists isn’t the wisest idea given the current news agenda, so it comes as no surprise that an “insulting” gag in the BBC’s upcoming Catherine Tate Christmas special has sparked controversy.
In “Nanger Management”, Tate’s comedy character Nan reportedly accuses a Muslim man of being an Isis bomber after noticing that he is carrying a holdall bag and wearing a prayer cap.
Nan is attending anger management classes after attacking a blind charity collector, and when the man walks into the room, she says: “Alright. No sudden movements. If this one has got anger problems, we’re all in trouble. I think we all just stay calm.”
The man confirms that he is in fact a caretaker, to which Tate replies: “Thank God for that. That was close.”
The BBC has defended the joke, telling The Daily Star in a statement: “Nan is a comedy character well-known to BBC audiences for her outrageous views, language and behaviour. Her views do not hold accord with a more enlightened world, as the programme makes clear.”
But a representative for the Islamic Centre of England has warned that when the festive show airs, the scene will “not be taken in a favourable way”. “This is a very sensitive issue, the spokesperson said. “It can just add unnecessarily to the problems.”
Mohammed Afzal, chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque, described the joke as “insulting in the current climate”. “People will not find this funny,” he said. “It is tarnishing Muslims with the same brush as terrorists. It’s disgusting.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments