School expels author for gay jibe about Potter

But when G P Taylor, a former vicar turned publishing phenomenon with his fantasy novel Shadowmancer, addressed 120 pupils at a Cornish secondary school, staff took a different view of his use of the English language.

The talk by the children's author was abruptly ended and his audience of 12-year-olds ordered to return to their classrooms after he used what the school termed "inappropriate language". His crime was to have used words such as "bum", "fart", "bogey" and "crap", as well as comparing Harry Potter to a gay character in the television comedy show Little Britain.

Taylor, who has a heart condition and had to take medication after the incident, accused staff at Penair school in Truro of censorship and paranoia after he was asked to halt his talk as part of a publicity tour promoting creative writing.

He said: "I have done this talk in many schools and I have been invited back many times. If the words 'fart' and 'bogey' are unacceptable, that's sad.

"I heard these kids speaking in the school and outside, and they were using language far worse than the language I used. I didn't set out to offend. I'm a priest - I'm very careful about not offending people.

"I had to take heart medication after what happened. The teacher stepped in to stop the talk. The children were all shown back to class and I was just left standing there. It was very embarrassing.

"I think it is down to a growing climate of political correctness. It is curbing freedom of speech. People are so paranoid now about what is said about each other it is going to destroy writing."

The 47-year-old writer, who sold his motorbike to self-publish Shadowmancer before its appeal was spotted by Faber, had been invited via a local bookstore to give a talk on literature to publicise his latest novel. He described television as "crap" compared to books and used "bogey" while discussing Fungus the Bogeyman, the classic illustrated book by Raymond Briggs.

Barbara Vann, the headteacher of the school, denied displaying excessive prudery, claiming Taylor had gone too far by at one point nearly using the F-word and making a "homophobic" remark about Harry Potter.

She said: "He is a national novelist and I would expect him to be able to speak to young people without using that sort of language. His language was going to go even further, but he stopped himself. He started to use the F-word and that is not acceptable in a school environment."

The school said the session last Thursday was ended after the pupils became "excitable" at the language being used by Taylor, a former Anglican vicar who lives near Scarborough, North Yorkshire.

Shadowmancer, a fantasy about Christianity and black magic set in 18th- century Yorkshire, recently earned a $500,000 (£285,000) advance for the US publishing rights. A Hollywood film of the book is also in the pipeline.

Taylor denied making any homophobic remarks, saying the teachers had misunderstood. He said: "All I said was that my villains are scarier than those in Harry Potter - and they are. I call Lord Voldemort Lord Vulgarwart and said that Harry Potter was not 'the only gay in the village'. It was a joke; a joke from Little Britain that the children would know."

Staff remained unmoved, saying that all seven teachers who witnessed the talk were "embarrassed and uncomfortable". In a statement, the school said: "The remarks were thought by the staff to be offensive and were well below the standards we expect of responsible and thoughtful adults working in our school."