Gavin and Stacey viewers slam the show’s hotly-anticipated Christmas special for the use of homophobic slur
- The episode saw Nessa and Uncle Bryn sing The Pogues’ popular Christmas song
- The lyrics contain a homophobic slur and the show chose not censor the word
- Viewers were not impressed with the use of the word calling it ‘unnecessary’
Gavin and Stacey viewers have slammed the Christmas special for the use of a homophobic slur.
The hotly-anticipated episode saw Nessa and Uncle Bryn sing The Pogues’ popular Christmas song.
The song’s lyrics: ‘You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap-lousy f****t’ , contain a homophobic slur, and viewers were not impressed the offensive word was used.
One social media user said: ‘Well that confirms it. #GavinandStacey is trash. #fairytaleofnewyork.’
The highly anticipated episode saw Nessa and Uncle Bryn sing The Pogues’ popular Christmas song
Dr Laura Humphreys tweeted: ‘Enjoyed #GavinandStacey – not groundbreaking but good fan service.
‘But the uncensored Fairytale of New York was completely unnecessary and made me feel gross. This is not a show that normally punches down.’
And and user called Bethany, said: ‘not to reignite the annual Fairytale of New York argument, but not feeling great about the gavin and stacey special making teh closeted gay character sing the F word.’
But not everyone was offended by the use of the word in the popular Christmas song.
One tweeter said: ‘The entire upset about Fairytale of New York on #GavinandStacey is a bit mad. It’s a song, it’s an old song and that was the lyric used.
‘The lyric was sung by a LGBTQ+ character in a fun and safe way. I didn’t get offended as a gay guy. It’s just a lyric in a scene.’
And Mark Reese said: ‘Just when I thought fairytale of new york couldn’t get any better.’
The BBC has previously defended its decision to air the song in its uncensored version, citing its continued popularity among audiences.
A spokesperson said: ‘Fairytale of New York is a very popular, much-loved Christmas song played widely throughout the festive season, and the lyrics are well-established with the audience.’
Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell previously told The Times he objected to the BBC’s decision to not censor the slur when played on the radio.
He said: ‘The BBC would not screen a Christmas song with the n-word in it. It would be deemed deeply prejudiced and unacceptable. So why the double standards when it comes to the f-word?’