'Meat and two veg' too rude for breakfast, Evans is warned

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The DJ Chris Evans' final legacy to his former bosses at Virgin Radio was a rebuke from regulators yesterday for a bout of "laddish" on-air banter with the Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver.

The Radio Authority upheld a complaint about a live breakfast show broadcast three months before Mr Evans left in June when he was fired after failing to turn up for work.

In a quiz, Mr Evans asked his guest whether he preferred a "pub lunch or afternoon shag". Then one of the studio team asked whether it was true that Mr Oliver had "the largest genitalia on the chef circuit".

The chef was also asked what he would prepare to seduce a woman if he were not married, to which he replied: "Meat and two veg."

A listener contacted the regulator to object to the exchange, saying she found the discussion "incredibly offensive", particularly during the Easter holidays when children were listening. She also pointed out that, immediately after this discussion, Mr Evans had directly addressed younger listeners.

The authority said Mr Evans "was well-established and well-known for his irreverent and laddish humour" and he was broadcasting on a station aiming at 25 to 44-year-olds.

But it recognised younger people did listen to the programme and had been asked to contribute. "We therefore agreed with the complainant that the feature contained adult humour that had exceeded the boundaries of acceptability at breakfast time," the ruling said.