A charity has hit out at the BBC for failing to edit an episode of Would I Lie to You? In which comedian Lee Mack made a joke about stammering.
Stamma said the section of the popular panel show was “thoughtless ridicule” and added: “This isn’t the 70s.”
In the episode, which aired last Friday (17 February), Rob Brydon stumbled over his words before Mack mimicked a stammer and said: “The suspense is killing me.”
He then asked if Brydon was auditioning for Open All Hours, the 1970s and 80s sitcom in which the lead character Arkwright, played by Ronnie Barker, had a stammer.
Stamma said: “It was disheartening to see Lee Mack and the Would I Lie to You? crew mock stammering on Friday night’s show.
“Around 8 per cent of kids and at least 1 per cent of adults stammer. This is our voice, it’s how we talk.”
The charity added: “The thoughtless ridicule we saw on Would I Lie to You? offers us a stark choice between being laughed at or being silent. We know it wasn’t meant to hurt or offend, but for many who stammer, it does.”
Jane Powell, Stamma chief executive, said: “Stammering isn’t a joke, and this isn’t the 70s. Thousands of people who love WILTY – and who stammer – will have watched the show on Friday and felt uncomfortable and embarrassed watching Lee Mack mock how they talk.
“It’s a shame the BBC didn’t see that this was worth editing out.”
You can view the clip here.
The BBC has been approached for comment.