Media watchdog launches inquiry into comedian’s comments made during appearance on The One Show

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Jimmy Carr could face sanctions for making a joke about dwarves during an appearance on BBC1’s The One Show.

Ofcom has launched an investigation into the comedian’s comments, made on the show during a promotion of his Greatest Hits tour, in a gag to viewers about how he had once come up with a two-word joke.

“I tried to write the shortest joke possible,” he said. “So, I wrote a two-word joke which was: ‘Dwarf shortage’. It’s just so I could pack more jokes into the show.”

Fellow guest Rod Stewart attempted to keep a straight face while The One Show host Alex Jones grimaced.

Carr added: “If you’re a dwarf and you’re offended by that, grow up.”

Ofcom has received two complaints about the incident, which aired on 4 November, and has decided it warrants a formal investigation to see if there has been a breach of the broadcasting code.

“We’re investigating whether potentially discriminatory comments in this programme met generally accepted standards,” said a spokesman for Ofcom.

Carr has something of a track record in making off-colour jokes. At last year’s Q Awards he reportedly made a tasteless joke about the death of Oscar Pistorius’s girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.



In 2011, he was forced to issue a public apology after he made an offensive joke about children with Down’s syndrome in a live set.



The 8 out of 10 Cats host was landed with a £500,000 tax bill in 2014 after quitting a controversial off-shore tax avoidance scheme, known as K2, after it was investigated by HM Revenue and Customs.

