Sex-crazed Muslim censored from BBC comedy

by David Masters

TV comedian Harry Enfield has been told to scrap a sketch in which he plays a sex-crazed Muslim hoodie.

Enfield wanted to include the character in his new Friday night sketch TV show ‘Harry and Paul’, the first programme for eight years in which Enfield works with his comedy partner Paul Whitehouse.

The BBC warned off the duo from subjecting Islam to satire, saying that it ‘might cause trouble’.

The 47 year old star was also told not to perform a sketch portraying a paedophile Catholic priest called Father Paddy.

A spokesperson for Tiger Aspects Productions said the decision to withdraw the characters was made before the show was aired, so it has not affected its production or launch.

She said that the characters never made it further than the page, adding that all the key members of the production team agreed that neither character was suitable for the show.

Comedy writer Ben Elton recently accused the BBC of being soft on Islam by not allowing it to be ridiculed to the same level of other religions.

The BBC has already fanned the flames of controversy on the issues of Islam and paedophilia in its flagship soap opera Eastenders.

Over 200 complaints have been made to the BBC about an Eastenders storyline in which a 15 year old girl has a relationship with her step father, whilst more than 100 people have written in to complain about a Muslim character breaking his Ramadan fast in the soap.

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