Brucie on the race row: 'Get a sense of humour'

Bruce Forsyth has said that Britain should 'get a sense of humour' about the Strictly Come Dancing race row involving Anton du Beke and Laila Rouass. There have been calls for the professional dancer to be booted off the show for saying his partner looked like a 'Paki' after she had a spray tan. The 81-year-old presenter told TalkSport: "We used to have a sense of humour about this - you go back 25, 30, 40 years and there has always been a bit of humour about the whole thing. "At one time the Americans used to call us 'limeys' which doesn't sound very nice, but we used to laugh about it. Everybody has a nickname." Anton has since apologised 'unreservedly' and Laila has accepted it saying she does not believe he should be sacked. Bruce said Anton was a 'lovely, sensitive guy', adding: "OK, he can be a bit mouthy and can say quick things off-the-cuff like I do. If someone says something to me then I'm straight back. Quick reflex of the tongue is what we've got. But when you're like that you can slip up every now and again. You can say something that you don't mean. "But I'm sure there was nothing vindictive about what he said and [the apology] should be accepted and the page should be closed on it." The BBC has refused to sack the professional dancer. Freesat viewers can now watch Strictly in HD for free.

CATEGORIES

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.