Ofcom clears O'Grady over Sir Elton's naughty word

Published on Tuesday 22 August 2006 00:53

PAUL O'Grady's teatime television show has escaped censure from media watchdogs over bad language used by guest star Sir Elton John.

Asked by O'Grady why he had changed his name from Reginald Dwight, Sir Elton replied that it had made him sound "like a banker ... or a w*****, one of the two".

Twenty viewers complained to Channel 4 and ten to Ofcom.

But the issue was resolved after Channel 4 agreed to warn guests about their language.

In its ruling, Ofcom said its research "suggests that while this word is considered quite mild by most, a small minority of sections of the community find it quite offensive".

It added: "This series does tend to attract an older audience and the use of the word 'w*****' was unfortunate."