BBC receives 18,000 complaints after repeating N-word allegedly used in attack

The BBC has received more than 18,000 complaints from the public after it broadcast a racial slur, amid growing internal staff discontent at the decision.

A television news report on a racially aggravated hit-and-run attack on an NHS worker in Bristol featured a BBC journalist repeating the racist language allegedly shouted at the victim.

“Just to warn you you’re about to hear highly offensive language,” said the reporter, before quoting the alleged attacker’s use of the N-word as they fled the scene. The report originally aired on the regional Points West bulletin, before being repeated on the national BBC News channel the following day.

The BBC has defended its broadcast, saying the decision to report the racist language allegedly used in the attack was made following discussions with the victim and his family, who wanted viewers to appreciate the severity of the incident.

“Notwithstanding the family’s wishes, we independently considered whether the use of the word was editorially justified given the context,” it said. “The word is used on air rarely, and in this case, as with all cases, the decision to use it in full was made by a team of people including a number of senior editorial figures.”

The BBC said it did not take the decision to include the N-word in its report lightly and was aware it would cause offence. However, it pushed ahead because it felt the need to spell out the extreme nature of the words alleged to have been used in the attack, along with images of the victim’s bloodied face.

”We believe we gave adequate warnings that upsetting images and language would be used and we will continue to pursue this story.”

This has done little to quell internal discontent within the BBC, with some members of staff drawing parallels between the handling of the response and last year’s incident involving the BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty, which led to an internal staff uprising and bosses reversing their decision to censure her for breaking impartiality guidelines with comments she made about Donald Trump.

The BBC also received 417 complaints about a separate use of the N-word during a history programme broadcast over the weekend. Historian Lucy Worsley apologised on Twitter after her show, American History’s Biggest Fibs, originally broadcast on BBC Four in 2019 before being repeated on BBC Two on Sunday night, quoted the word in a programme on the American civil war.