The racist ‘joke’ made by Mrs Brown’s Boys star and creator Brendan O’Carroll has been unveiled following a BBC investigation.
The Irish comedian is reported to have ‘implied’ the N-word during rehearsals for the BBC comedy’s forthcoming Christmas special.
During a script read-through, O’Carroll, in character, is alleged to have joked: “I don’t call a spade a spade, I call a spade a…”
The Daily Mail alleges that the actor began to say the N-word before being interrupted by a co-star also in character.
A representative for O’Carroll clarified in a statement shared with the publication on Tuesday night: “We would also like to clarify that the “n” word was absolutely not spoken, it was implied. Agnes (Mrs Brown) began the word but was stopped from finishing it by her daughter Cathy, as she knew she would be.”
O’Carroll, who portrays the foul-mouthed matriarch Agnes Brown in the contentious series, apologised on Monday night for making a racist comment which triggered a BBC investigation, reports the Mirror.
The BBC temporarily halted rehearsals to look into the incident, which have since resumed in Glasgow at the broadcaster’s Pacific Quay studios in Scotland – with shows proceeding as scheduled, as initially reported by the Mirror.
The actor issued a statement clarifying: “At a read-through of the Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas specials, there was a clumsy attempt at a joke, in the character of Agnes, where a racial term was implied.” O’Carroll expressed contrition by saying: “It backfired and caused offence which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised.”
Adding their voice to the matter, a BBC spokesperson commented: “Whilst we don’t comment on individuals, the BBC is against all forms of racism, and we have robust processes in place should issues ever arise.”
According to reports from Tuesday evening, a junior member of the show’s production team was so distressed by the comic’s racially insensitive jest that they immediately quit the programme. An insider told The Sun about the intense reaction to the incident, noting that although everyone present during the offensive remark was taken aback, the read-through continued for a while in stunned silence.
“Virtually everyone in the room on the day that the outburst happened were shocked, but the reading continued for some time without anyone saying or doing anything as they were so stunned,” they confided. “One member of the production team in particular was upset by what came out of his mouth and it was quickly reported to the bosses.
“There was no excuses for what he said or any kind of context or mitigation he could provide for making the slur, he just seemed to think it was amusing,” the source added.
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