Paul Daniels' 'homophobic' quip sparks complaints

An attempted plug by Paul Daniels for British bangers almost blew up in his face when viewers complained he was being homophobic. The conjuror, currently starring in Strictly Come Dancing, told one of the hit BBC1 show's judges, Craig Revel Horwood, not to give up 'his day job eating sausages'. The line was a reference to openly gay Craig replacing Paul as the face of a campaign celebrating British Sausage Week, but a BBC spokesman confirmed that 'a handful' of viewers complained he was being homophobic. The sharp-tongued dance judge tried to clear up the confusion on Twitter, writing: "Paul Daniels naturally was referring to my being crowned King of the Sizzle for sausageweek!" Paul also took to the internet, tweeting: "If journos thought the mild sausage gag was about being gay they obviously don't keep up with the news. It's Sausage Week!" British Sausage Week, which starts on November 1, is organised by the British Sausage Appreciation Society. In his role as King of the Sizzle, Craig will have to judge the nation's finest bangers in a bid to find a winner in the Star Sausages competition.

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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.