The BBC has issued an apology after a reporter was accused of homophobia towards Irish star Andrew Scott at the BAFTAs.
The All of Us Strangers actor, 47, walked off after an uncomfortable question from a BBC reporter on the red carpet at the awards last weekend.
Viewers branded Colin Paterson’s tone of questions “homophobic” after a clip of him asking Andrew about pal Barry Keoghan’s p*nis went viral.
Paterson asked Andrew: “Do you know Barry well?” The actor replied: “I know Barry, yeah.”
The journalist continued: “Your reaction when you first saw the n*ked dance scene at the end of Saltburn…” to which Andrew laughed awkwardly.
Andrew shrugged: “Oh jeez. Okay, well I won’t spoil it for anybody. It’s great, it’s great.”
Paterson probed again and said: “You can spoil away…” Andrew started to move away as he insisted: “No, no. I won’t spoil it for anybody.”
The reporter asked: “There is a lot of talk about prosthetics, how well do you know him?”
Andrew appeared awkward and walked away as he told Paterson: “Too much! Too much.”
The BBC issued a statement to explain the line of questioning.
The broadcaster said: “Saltburn is a film which has had cultural impact, with Barry Keoghan’s scene at the end gaining a lot of attention in particular, something the actor has addressed himself.
“Our question to Andrew Scott was meant to be a light-hearted reflection of the discussion around the scene and was not intended to cause offence.”
The BBC said Saltburn director Emerald Fennell and singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor had also faced the same line of questioning.
It continued: “We do, however, accept that the specific question asked to Andrew Scott was misjudged.
“After speaking with Andrew on the carpet, our reporter acknowledged on air that his questioning may have gone too far and that he was sorry if this was the case.”
Fans initially slammed the interview as homophobic as Andrew is gay and they interpreted the question as implying he’d been intimate with Barry.
Golden Globes host Jo Koy asked Keoghan at the awards: “Where is your penis seated? Down front? That was the real star of the show.”
Barry looked uncomfortable at the Critics’ Choice Awards when Chelsea Handler told him from the stage: “Please thank your penis for its service.”
