Actor Sir David Jason has apologised after making a joke about Pakistanis on Absolute Radio's Christian O'Connell breakfast show.

 

The Only Fools and Horses and Touch of Frost star rang the station yesterday morning as part of its "Who's Calling Christian?" feature in which celebrities try to win money for charity.

 

Asked to leave a question for the next guest, the 69-year-old actor replied: "What do you call a Pakistani cloakroom attendant?" After a pause, he said: "Me hat, me coat." (said fast Mahatma Coat)

 

No apology was made at the time, but O'Connell responded to the comment by saying: "No more jokes like that."

 

The incident was edited out of the show before it was put on the Absolute Radio website as a podcast. The station said it would make an on-air apology during tomorrow's breakfast show.

 

A spokeswoman for the actor said: "He is very sorry if he has offended anyone. He was horrified when he found he had given offence. He hadn't thought it was a racist joke, but if people took it that way he's very sorry about it."

 

A spokeswoman for the station added: "The comments made by David Jason were unacceptable and Christian O'Connell distanced himself from them live on air.

 

"We consider the views of our listeners to be very important and have received no complaints about these comments.

 

"We will continue to monitor any complaints and Christian O'Connell will issue an on-air apology in tomorrow's breakfast show."

 

The incident happened at around 7.10am yesterday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sure the joke was not remotely funny but the whole over the top reaction to it by the media and radio station and effectively branding a national icon like David Jason as a racist is taking things way too far :rolleyes:

 

Would there have been any fuss by the media and the station if David Jason had instead made joke about a Scotsman and replaced what he said with Angus McCoatup ? course fukkin not :manson:

Edited March 26, 200916 yr by B.A Baracus

he should be strung up....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...... for delivering such a crap joke

No apology was made at the time, but O'Connell responded to the comment by saying: "No more jokes like that."

 

"We consider the views of our listeners to be very important and have received no complaints about these comments.

 

"We will continue to monitor any complaints and Christian O'Connell will issue an on-air apology in tomorrow's breakfast show."

 

The incident happened at around 7.10am yesterday.

Sure the joke was not remotely funny but the whole over the top reaction to it by the media and radio station and effectively branding a national icon like David Jason as a racist is taking things way too far :rolleyes:

 

Would there have been any fuss by the media and the station if David Jason had instead made joke about a Scotsman and replaced what he said with Angus McCoatup ? course fukkin not :manson:

 

Completely ridiculous - just trying to get some publicity for their Radio Station, I guess. I'm sure there would have been no outcry to the Paddy Fields variation of the joke or even the version aimed at one of my middle names (not saying what it is tho! :P ) . I don't listen to that radio station anyway...too many ads and chat for me to bother with.

We consider the views of our listeners to be very important and have received no complaints about these comments.

 

"We will continue to monitor any complaints and Christian O'Connell will issue an on-air apology in tomorrow's breakfast show.

 

Unfortunately this is just the station using the 'negative publicity' to remind people it exists. I'd completely forgotten about it...and Christian O'Connell.

 

David Jason's from a different generation and I guess they need to be reminded that jokes from the 1970's are not funny to be exercised with caution. They're simply not fit for broadcast in this day and age in case anyone takes offence (believe me, some ridiculously nationalist Scots would find Angus McCoatup a slur) and it's best not to bother. But as for being racist, don't be stupid.

Edited March 26, 200916 yr by richie

Unfortunately this is just the station using the 'negative publicity' to remind people it exists. I'd completely forgotten about it...and Christian O'Connell.

 

David Jason's from a different generation and I guess they need to be reminded that jokes from the 1970's are not funny to be exercised with caution. They're simply not fit for broadcast in this day and age in case anyone takes offence (believe me, some ridiculously nationalist Scots would find Angus McCoatup a slur) and it's best not to bother. But as for being racist, don't be stupid.

 

Except anyone ACTUALLY named Angus, of course...

 

/me is of Scottish extraction btw!!!

The "joke" is extremely old, GOD, I remember that one at Primary school.... :rolleyes: And people call David Jason some "great comedy actor".... Personally I find the fact that he dredged up such a lame, pathetic 30-year old "joke" to be far more offensive than any racist connotations it has.....

 

People like him and Jim Davidson are dinosaurs, they're not remotely funny anymore, if they ever truly were... And, frankly, when one looks at repeats of "Only Fools and Horses", one wonders why on earth it was ever considered "great comedy", it's frankly embarrassing and just doesn't hold up anymore... Unlike true classics such as Dad's Army, The Young Ones, Blackadder and Fawltey Towers

I still think Only Fools And Horses is good...although it lost it's way a little with some of the later episodes.

 

David Jason IS a great actor, he isn't a scriptwriter ie. he's not responsible for coming up with funny things, so why would you expect a startlingly new great joke of the century? :rolleyes:

so why would you expect a startlingly new great joke of the century? :rolleyes:

 

I still wouldn't exactly expect him to dredge up some hoary old "gag" from over 30 years ago though mate..... It wasn't even particularly funny then....

BFD