The BBC has cut a Katherine Ryan joke about Victoria Beckham from Have I Got News For You after two viewers complained. Right call, or too thin-skinned?

What happened

In a November 2025 episode, the panel discussed David Beckham's knighthood and a 2013 email in which he allegedly used the c-word about the honours committee. Guest host Katherine Ryan then compared Victoria Beckham to the same word. Two viewers complained. In a ruling reported on 24 September, the BBC's complaints unit upheld them: the email justified using the word, it said, but not a line presenting Victoria Beckham as equivalent to it. The joke has been cut from iPlayer. Producer Jimmy Mulville called the near year-long inquiry a waste of the licence fee; Ryan has apologised on Instagram.

Why people disagree

Supporters of the ruling say a publicly funded broadcaster should stick to its own guidelines, and that calling a named woman one of the most offensive words in English isn't satire of anything she did. Critics say two complaints shouldn't trigger a year-long inquiry, that panel shows rely on edgy jokes, and that editing old episodes after the fact makes comedians more cautious and comedy blander.

What's still unclear

It isn't clear whether the ruling will change how the BBC handles comedy panel shows. Nor is it clear how Victoria Beckham herself felt: Ryan and Mulville say the two exchanged messages about it, but no public comment from Beckham has been reported.