Summary of complaint
We have received complaints from viewers who were unhappy with the inclusion of strong language in the programme.
Our response
As a post-watershed entertainment programme, Have I Got News for You has always covered and discussed news stories in a humorous, often ironic, manner. The inclusion of any strong language is carefully thought through and it is never our intention to offend our audience.Â
In this particular case, we feel that the use of the strong language was editorially justified as the panel were discussing a current news story about Sir David Beckham and directly quoting from leaked emails in which he had used the word in question, leading to further discussion.Â
As is common practice for programmes that contain very strong language, we mitigated potential offence by adding a clear verbal warning at the start of the programme.