The BBC is defending Graham Norton after he joked that the Ukraine ‘may very well be southwest Russia’ through the opening section of The Graham Norton Present.
Throughout an episode of his titular chat present, the 58-year-old presenter commented on Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s journey to Kyiv, which is the Ukraine’s capital.
‘This week, he flew off to Ukraine — or if you happen to’re watching on catch-up TV, he flew off to southwest Russia,’ he quipped.
A number of viewers weren't impressed over the offensive comment and claimed it was insensitive to Ukrainian nationals who're beneath risk of a possible Russian invasion and demanded for the late-night host to apologise.
The BBC has responded to the backlash and defined that whereas they ‘admire the seriousness’ of present occasions, the ‘intention’ wasn’t to offend anybody.
In an announcement, a spokesperson stated: ‘Comedy is likely one of the most subjective areas of programming and whereas no topic is off limits, we admire that some jokes could resonate in a different way for these with private expertise of a selected scenario.’
International Secretary Liz Truss additionally weighed in over the controversy with LBC radio presenter Tom Swarbrick.
When he requested if the BBC ought to apologise, Truss replied: ‘I’m a believer in free speech.
‘I don’t essentially imagine that each joke on the BBC is in good style, however I definitely don’t help a censorship state that stops comedians making jokes.’
Though Truss expressed she didn’t discover the joke ‘significantly humorous’, she believed the BBC have been proper in not apologising over ‘free speech’ grounds.
Mr Johnson has urged Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, to step again from ‘the sting of a precipice’ amid warnings he may very well be ‘days away’ from ordering an invasion.
‘I’m going to be doing all the things I can to assist the diplomatic course of,’ he stated.
‘I’ll be speaking to varied leaders, together with Joe Biden, very quickly.’
The Prime Minister urged the Russian chief to grasp that he'll face extreme financial and political penalties if he launches an invasion on Ukraine.
Mr Johnson added that the world ‘must study the lesson of 2014’ – when Russian annexed the Crimea from Ukraine – and nations ought to transfer away from utilizing Russian gasoline and oil in favour of different sources of vitality.
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