SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Please consider donating to keep our website running and free for all - thank you!

The Yorks

BBC censors Prince Andrew joke from Australian television show because it could offend UK audiences

The BBC has censored a joke about the Duke of York in a recently edited Australian television broadcast after deeming it unsuitable to British viewers.

It is understood that the BBC cut a joke about Prince Andrew from a recent episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under which is streaming on the BBC iPlayer.

The television series was filmed in Auckland earlier this year and seeks to find New Zealand and Australia’s “next drag superstar.”

In one episode, a contestant dressed up as The Queen before making an apparent crude remark about the Duke of York.

The same performer also made a joke about Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, which was also cut from the British edit.

Although the show aired unedited in Australia, the BBC decided to censor the joke for UK syndication, explaining that UK audiences may be offended.

A spokesperson for the BBC confirmed that the edit was made, saying: “The BBC occasionally makes edits to acquired programmes in accordance with UK audience expectations.”

Prince Andrew has kept a low profile since his disastrous Newsnight interview in November 2019 which resulted in him stepping away from official public duties.

The interview came about as a result of allegations made against the Duke regarding his former friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.