Bruce Forsyth: “Du Beke was wrong”

Strictly Come Dancing host Bruce Forsyth has said he does not “excuse or condone” racism after saying the Anton Du Beke race row was being taken too seriously.

Bruce Forsyth has insisted he does not "excuse or condone" racism after calling for an end to the controversy surrounding Anton Du Beke's recent racist remarks to actress Laila Rouass. On Sunday, the News Of The World reported that during Strictly Come Dancing rehearsals Anton was heard calling his dance partner a "Paki". Du Beke later apologised "unreservedly" for his comment. Forsyth told TalkSport, "You go back 25, 30, 40 years and there has always been a bit of humour about the whole thing. Americans used to call us 'limeys' which doesn't sound very nice, but we used to laugh about it. Everybody has a nickname."

Despite receiving 487 complaints and many calls for Du Beke to sacked, the BBC have vowed to stand by the dancer. "The BBC does not condone offensive language in the work place. Anton Du Beke has apologised unreservedly to Laila Rouass who has accepted his apology," they announced in a statement. Forsyth said, "It's a damn shame and I feel for him and Laila, she's a lovely girl." Defending Du Beke, he said, "He's a lovely, sensitive guy. OK, he can be a bit mouthy and can say quick things off-the-cuff like I do. But when you're like that, you can slip up every now and again. You can say something that you don't mean."

However, following a rash of negative comments in the media about his remarks, Forsyth has issued a statement to clarify his comments. "I have been asked by a number of journalists to clarify what I meant and am therefore issuing this statement via the BBC, though I must emphasise that these are my personal views and not necessarily those of the BBC," he explained. "What Anton said to Laila was wrong and he has apologised unreservedly for this. Nor do I in any way excuse or condone the use of such language. To be absolutely clear, the use of racially offensive language is never either funny or acceptable. However, there is a major difference between this and racist comments which are malicious in intent and whilst I accept that we live in a world of extraordinary political correctness, we should keep things in perspective."

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