Channel 4 has apologised after airing a seven-letter gay slur on Countdown.
Fans, rival quiz hosts– and even the contestants – had questioned why bosses didn’t edit out the word “p*****r” as one of the answers, in the words round.
Richard Osman, a former producer for a number of Channel 4 shows and the host of Pointless, said he was surprised the offensive word wasn’t cut from Monday’s show.
Osman said: “The contestant was embarrassed to be saying it, but in that situation the easy solution is to all agree he scored seven points and to retake with a different answer. We’ve done that a couple of times with ‘correct’ answers.”
He added: “A very easy fix, and not an uncommon one.”
Hundreds of people took to Twitter to register their anger and disappointment at hearing the word on Monday's show.
Journalist Scott Bryan said: “As someone who was called a “p*****r” by homophobes on a daily basis why on earth is Countdown allowing it to be said cheerfully as an answer on daytime television? Yes, I know it is in the dictionary.
“But having been at the receiving end of that word as abuse for years (along with f*****), then hearing it casually as an answer on a quizshow.”
He added: “The amount of people saying 'it is only a word,' I’m pretty sure it was only a word back in the classrooms back then too. Yet it feels the same.”
The contestant who uttered the word even agreed.
Matt Gould, from Whitley Bay, tweeted: “I apologise for my part in this. I thought it might be edited differently.
"At the time I said ‘I have an inappropriate 7 that I know is in the dictionary or a riskier 7 that I’m less sure about’.
"I thought that bit would be reshot with a non offensive 7 letter word.”
Channel 4 have now apologised.
They said: “The airing of the word was an error of judgement. It does not align with our values and we apologise for any offence caused.”
