Channel 4 apologises after homophobic slur airs during Countdown

"A very easy fix, and not an uncommon one."

Channel 4 have apologised after a homophobic slur was aired during an episode of Countdown. Many viewers of the long running game show complained this week after a contestant gave the word 'p**fter' as one of his answers during the letters round. The word, a blatant homophobic slur, was accepted by the show and aired uncensored during the programme. Pointless presenter and author Richard Osman was among those who complained to Channel 4 about the word. He said it was surprising the word had not been omitted from the show before it went to air. “The contestant was embarrassed to be saying it, but in that situation the easy solution is to all agree he scored 7 points and to retake with a different answer," he said. "We’ve done that a couple of times with ‘correct’ answers. A very easy fix, and not an uncommon one.” Channel 4 has since apologised for including the word on Monday's show, saying that its inclusion was an "error of judgement."

"It does not align with our values and we apologise for any offence caused," they said.

Matt Gould, the Countdown contestant who said the word, also apologised saying: "I thought it might be edited differently.

"At the time I said 'I have an inappropriate seven that I know is in the dictionary or a riskier seven that I’m less sure about.' I thought that bit would be reshot with a non-offensive seven letter word."

This comes after new Countdown host Anne Robinson was criticised for using oftentimes offensive language, including those that may be hurtful to members of the LGBT+ community, to belittle contestants on the Weakest Link. Earlier this year she said she wouldn't be able to "get away" with her previous put downs on the TV show, and that she would be approaching her gig on Countdown differently. "One of the several reasons we wouldn't do Weakest Link again is that we're into [the] woke era now," she told BBC. "And there would be endless confusion about it. So you're quite right."