Catherine Tate Christmas special under fire for 'insulting' joke accusing Muslim man of being an Isis terrorist

Tate's 'Nan' is known as a controversial character, but the joke has been deemed insensitive

Catherine Tate as the famously outrageous Nan

Joking about Muslims being terrorists isn’t the wisest idea given the current news agenda, so it comes as no surprise that an “insulting” gag in the BBC’s upcoming Catherine Tate Christmas special has sparked controversy.

In “Nanger Management”, Tate’s comedy character Nan reportedly accuses a Muslim man of being an Isis bomber after noticing that he is carrying a holdall bag and wearing a prayer cap.

Nan is attending anger management classes after attacking a blind charity collector, and when the man walks into the room, she says: “Alright. No sudden movements. If this one has got anger problems, we’re all in trouble. I think we all just stay calm.”

The man confirms that he is in fact a caretaker, to which Tate replies: “Thank God for that. That was close.”

The BBC has defended the joke, telling The Daily Star in a statement: “Nan is a comedy character well-known to BBC audiences for her outrageous views, language and behaviour. Her views do not hold accord with a more enlightened world, as the programme makes clear.”

But a representative for the Islamic Centre of England has warned that when the festive show airs, the scene will “not be taken in a favourable way”. “This is a very sensitive issue, the spokesperson said. “It can just add unnecessarily to the problems.”

Mohammed Afzal, chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque, described the joke as “insulting in the current climate”. “People will not find this funny,” he said. “It is tarnishing Muslims with the same brush as terrorists. It’s disgusting.