Jack Dee 'rude' jokes prompted BBC 'discussion' but comedian did not threaten to leave his radio show
The comedian was reportedly displeased with the BBC’s demands
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Your support makes all the difference.Jack Dee's jokes prompted "discussion" by BBC bosses, but he didn't threaten to leave his BBC radio show I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue - despite opposing reports.
The comedian has been chairman of the Radio 4 programme since 2009, but fellow panellist Tim Brooke-Taylor said that the stand-up won’t stay for much longer if he’s forced to change the tone of his repartee, as the BBC reportedly requested.
However, Dee's spokesperson said that although his jokes had been the subject of "discussion", he has no plans to leave the show.
“There had been a discussion about some of the show’s more risqué content following a particular complaint but this certainly didn’t result in Jack threatening to resign," his spokesperson told The Independent.
"The discussion was completely amicable and all the Clue team felt supported by the BBC as a result.”
According to Brooke-Taylor, corporation bosses grew disgruntled after a listener complained that the show’s fictional score-keeper, Samantha, was “rude to women”.
Dee’s links writer reportedly threatened to quit, which prompted the comedian to say, “Well, I’m leaving, too.”
“We’ve had terrible trouble with the BBC about the show. Someone complained about Samantha – that it was being rude to women – and told us we had to be careful about this and to not do that,” Brooke-Taylor told Cotswold Life.
“It’s just so pathetic, as so many things are double entendre that kids don’t realise what we’re on about.”
The character of Samantha was introduced to the show in 1985 by original chairman Humphrey Lyttelton and is often the receiver of innuendos about her sexual feats.
"We have regular discussions with production teams and contributors of all long-running Radio 4 programmes on how we can best keep the much loved shows clever, relevant and fresh to listeners," said a Radio 4 spokesperson.
"The next series of Clue will be returning to Radio 4 on Monday 30 June with the full set of regulars, including Samantha with her point scoring duties.”
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