Jack Whitehall ‘dwarf joke’ complaints upheld by BBC

Comedian based the joke on a friend from university

The BBC has upheld two complaints made over a comedy routine about a dwarf by Jack Whitehall.

The joke, about Whitehall attending a pop concert with a dwarf, who was a friend from university, was originally made during one of Whitehall’s shows in 2009.

The BBC reports that Whitehall, known for roles in Fresh Meat and Bad Education, has since said he is still in touch with his friend from university.

The complaints were prompted after a recent repeat of his Live at the Apollo set on BBC Two.

The broadcaster’s board of content has said the material will not be re-broadcast.

It said that while Whitehall was allowed to exaggerate stereotypes “for comic effect”, it was not acceptable “to take a stereotypical view of dwarfism itself”.

The board said that in doing so the stand-up took the routine “beyond the expectations of audiences in relation to material of this kind”.

However, it was noted that Whitehall’s fans will have acknowledged the 32-year-old’s “self-deprecating style of comedy” is mostly intended “to show up his own inadequacies and failings”.