BBC has been forced to pull a Victoria Beckham joke from a Have I Got News For You episode on BBC iPlayer.
The joke was about alleged leaked emails linked to Victoria’s husband David Beckham. In the emails, David appeared to use the c-word.
In the episode, host Katherine Ryan said: “I don’t know that we are allowed to broadcast the c-word, but you did reference Victoria Beckham earlier and we’ll allow that.”
Two complaints about the joke were upheld, leading to the change of the historic 2025 episode. It has now been re-uploaded to BBC iPlayer without the joke.
The BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit found: “There was no such justification for a comment which presented Victoria Beckham as equivalent to a particularly offensive word.”
Why the BBC upheld complaints over Victoria Beckham joke on Have I Got News For You
The ECU said relevant BBC guidelines “require that any offence should be editorially justified”.
It accepted that the strong language had a clear connection to the discussion of an alleged email from David.
The 2013 message allegedly saw David use the c-word when discussing the UK honours committee.
However, officials found there was no similar justification for turning the word into a joke about Victoria.
The ECU statement in full said: “The relevant BBC Editorial Guidelines do not require programmes to avoid giving offence, but do require that any offence should be editorially justified.
“In the ECU’s judgement, while the inclusion of the c-word in the programme derived editorial justification from David Beckham’s alleged use of it and the satirical reflections this prompted, there was no such justification for a comment which presented Victoria Beckham as equivalent to a particularly offensive word.”
The ECU also reported its finding to senior BBC content leaders.
The Victoria Beckham joke on Have I Got News For You
With Katherine as host, there was a discussion over David’s eventual knighthood and his earlier failure to receive the honour.
Private Eye editor Ian Hislop brought up David’s hopes for a knighthood before Katherine quoted an alleged 2013 email from David containing the c-word.
Maisie Adam repeated the term during a joke about the investiture.
Then, Katherine said: “I don’t know that we are allowed to broadcast the c-word, but you did reference Victoria Beckham earlier and we’ll allow that.”
When the studio audience was shocked, Katherine added: “I like her really, I didn’t expect that reaction.”
David’s spokesperson disputed reporting about the leaked emails in 2017.
The spokesperson said the accounts relied on “outdated material taken out of context from hacked and doctored private emails”.
In November 2025, David was knighted at Windsor Castle and Victoria there to support him.
BBC on the Victoria Beckham joke
At first, the BBC defended the programme in the face of viewer complaints about the language.
It said there was a “clear” warning for viewers about the language in the show.
The BBC also pointed out the Have I Got News For You? panel show is known for its “news stories in a humorous, often ironic, manner”. Additionally, it noted it has a post-watershed slot.
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At the time, the broadcaster considered the language justified by the discussion surrounding David’s alleged emails.
After investigating, the ECU found the Victoria punchline did not meet the guidelines.
The Victoria joke no longer appears in the revised BBC iPlayer version of the show.
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