The BBC has defended Jo Brand after she joked about attacks on Right-wing political candidates: “Why bother with a milkshake when you could get some battery acid?”

Brand made her comments on Radio 4’s Heresy show, during a debate about Brexit and the toxic nature of political debate in the UK.

Nigel Farage, Tommy Robinson and a UKIP candidate who had ‘joked’ about raping MP Jess Phillips have all had milkshakes thrown over them by protesters in recent weeks.

Brand said: “Certain unpleasant characters are being thrown to the fore and they’re very, very easy to hate. And I’m kind of thinking, why bother with a milkshake when you could get some battery acid?”

She added: “That’s just me. I’m not going to do it, it’s purely a fantasy. But I think milkshakes are pathetic, I honestly do, sorry.”

The live audience for Tuesday night’s show reacted with laughter. The host, Victoria Coren Mitchell, said at the end of the broadcast that Heresy was a series set up “to test the boundaries of what it’s ok to say and not say”.

Ofcom said it had received 19 complaints. A BBC spokesman said: “Heresy is a long-running comedy programme where, as the title implies and as our listeners know, panellists often say things which are deliberately provocative and go against societal norms but are not intended to be taken seriously.”