Huh. BBC says gypsy is a racist word, says comic
Comedian Ben Miller said the BBC tried to stop him using the word "gypsy" in his new sketch series with Alexander Armstrong because it could be seen as racist.
The pair wanted to use the term in their BBC1 show to ridicule attitudes held in the 1970s.
Speaking to November's issue of FHM magazine, Miller said: "We're having a debate at the moment with the BBC over whether we can say gypsies, because they say gypsies is a racist term, and you think 'Yes it is, but that's the point that we're making, that we were more racist in the 70s than we are now'."
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A BBC spokeswoman said concerns were raised about the use of the word because it might cause offence in the context in which it was being used.
She said: "There are no banned words on the BBC; 'gypsy' isn't a banned word.
"This wasn't about the word itself, but about the sketch as a whole and the potential to cause offence.
"As with all comedy, it's about context, and in this particular case we felt there were less offensive ways of making the same joke."