BBC presenter Lucy Worsley apologises for using n-word in history programme
BBC history presenter Lucy Worsley has apologised after she faced a backlash for using the n-word in a programme broadcast over the weekend.
In a segment in American History’s Biggest Fibs With Lucy Worsley, which originally aired last year, Worsley quotes former US president Abraham Lincoln’s eventual assassin John Wilkes Booth as using the n-word.
But following a backlash on social media after the programme was repeated on BBC Two on Saturday, Worsley has apologised for using the slur.
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The 46-year-old replied to a Twitter user: “You’re right, @therealpetraamp, it wasn’t acceptable and I apologise.”
You’re right, @therealpetraamp, it wasn’t acceptable and I apologise.
— Lucy Worsley (@Lucy_Worsley) August 2, 2020
The scene has also been addressed by the BBC, with a spokesperson stating: “This is a history programme about the American Civil War and features contributions from a number of African American scholars.
“Content information about the nature of the film was given before the programme started, and presenter Lucy Worsley gave a clear warning to the audience before quoting John Wilkes Booth as the term clearly has the potential to cause offence.”
A separate use of the n-word by a BBC reporter in a news item also caused uproar last week.
A news segment featuring presenter Fiona Lamdin about a racially motivated attack on a black man saw the reporter use the word quoting the attacker.
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The segment led to 280 Ofcom complaints.
A BBC spokesperson said: “This was a story about a shocking unprovoked attack on a young black man. His family told the BBC about the racist language used by the attackers and wanted to see the full facts made public.
“A warning was given before this was reported. We are no longer running this version of the report but are continuing to pursue the story.”