BBC defends ‘unacceptable’ Jeremy Corbyn joke on Have I Got News for You

Channel received viewer complaints about comedian’s ‘bomb Glastonbury’ quip

The BBC has been forced to defend a controversial Jeremy Corbyn joke made on comedy panel show Have I Got News for You.

Last Friday's episode of the show (20 November) featured comedian Fin Taylor, who made a joke about his hatred of the former Labour leader.

"I only hate Corbyn so much because of his fans," he said, adding: “People who like Corbyn – what, it’s 200,000 people in the Labour party that are fanatics? So, all you’ve gotta do is, next year, bomb Glastonbury.”

He also expressed his distaste for Bob Dylan fans and joked that, if the musician headlined Glastonbury, the bombing would be “two birds, one stone”.

Corbyn appeared at Glastonbury Festival in 2017, delivering a keynote speech that was attended by tens of thousands of people.

The crowd watched on while chanting his name to the tune of White Stripes track “Seven Nation Army”.

After Taylor made the quip, his teammate Ian Hislop commented: “Well, that’s the end of your career.”

The BBC initially declined to comment, but has now released a statement after receiving complaints from viewers that the remark was “unacceptable”.

“After more than 30 years on air, Have I Got News for You is a well-established comedy series that has built a reputation for irreverent humour and satire,” the channel said, stating the comment was “in no way whatsoever to be taken seriously”.

“It was clear that comedian Fin Taylor was talking about an utterly absurd scenario.”

The episode was presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell.