Sketch spark protest outside BBC

12:32pm Sunday 19th October 2008

Members of the Filipino community staged a silent vigil outside the BBC in an attempt to force the broadcaster to apologise over a "sexist, racist and immoral" Harry Enfield sketch.

The group gathered outside the BBC media village in White City, west London, in response to the comedy skit in which a character's "pet Northerner" is urged to "mount" a neighbour's Filipina maid.

Those present at the protest held banners stating: "Sexual abuse and exploitation is no joke," and "Comedy is not an excuse for prejudice."

The sketch that caused the offence was part of the Harry And Paul show aired on BBC1 on September 26 and repeated on BBC2 three days later.

During a segment of the show a man can be seen urging his lethargic pet Northerner to have sex with a Filipina maid who is wriggling provocatively.

Enfield's character tells a passing postman: "Our chums up the road want to see if we could mate their Filipina maid with our Northerner, but he's not having any of it."

He encourages the Northerner, saying: "Come on Clyde, mount her."

And he shouts at the maid, wearing a grey uniform and apron: "You, you, present your rear."

The sketch ends with Enfield's character shooing the neighbour's maid away having failed to get the pair to mate. It was part of a running gag in the programme in which a Southern family treat a Northern man who lives with them like a dog.

The BBC have said the producers of the programme did not intend to cause any offence.