[Archive 2009-10-21] BBC's Mock The Week 'breached guidelines' with Olympian humour, say corporation's Trust

Historical archive — originally published 2009-10-21. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

Comments made about Olympics swimmer Rebecca Adlington on British television programme Mock the Week "breached guidelines", the BBC Trust has said.

Scottish comedian Frankie Boyle, at the time a panelist on the satirical gameshow, made the comments about the swimmer. The episode the comments featured on was originally broadcast in August 2008 on BBC Two. The episode caused a total of 75 complaints to be made to the BBC. The producer then apologised four months later, saying, "[t]he ribbing may have gone a tad too far on this occasion."

This information came through seventeen days after the BBC announced that Frankie Boyle would be leaving the panel of the show after being a regular panellist since the show started in June 2005 due to "other television commitments". The show had been running for seven series, and will continue to run for another two seasons, despite his absence. A spokesperson for Mock the Week had said that he had been "a brilliant member of the team" and that "the door is always open for him to come back".

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