Chris Evans' Breakfast Show Will Not Face Further Action Over Jeremy Irons Swearing Incident

Chris Evans’ Radio 2 breakfast show will not face further action from media regulator Ofcom, after actor Jeremy Irons swore live on the show during a March 18th broadcast. The show had been investigated after a listener complained it had broken rule 2.3 of the broadcasting code regarding offence and offensive language.

Irons had been telling an anecdote about fellow actor John Hurt when he dropped the f-bomb live on air. “John and I were moaning about [good young actors],” Irons began, “And he said, ‘You know what I do when I find a good actor? I say to him, ‘You have a wonderful voice. Have you ever listened to it? And the actor is f***ed’.”

Evans responded by telling Irons: “You can’t say that, I apologise on your behalf, can you apologise on your behalf?” Irons then told listeners he was ‘really sorry,’ adding: “I didn’t say that, the actor is bleeped, the actor is bleeped.”

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“When we are at home we say these things,” he added. “I am most terribly sorry if anyone is offended … or their children. I’m so embarrassed I can’t talk. It’s so relaxed and so normal in here.” The BBC said they had given Irons a a “full face-to-face briefing on arrival” and that the actor was “clearly mortified” by the slip-up.

Radio 2 said they would now further tighten up their procedures on warning guests to watch their language, including sending a "warning email to the party through whom it is booking a guest, to emphasise the importance of not using offensive language”.

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In the findings published by Ofcom on Monday, the regulator said: “In light of all these factors, Ofcom considered this matter resolved.” An Ofcom spokesperson later added: “After investigating this programme, Ofcom found the BBC took appropriate steps to limit offence to listeners.”

“The guest and presenter apologised immediately after the swearing, and the presenter apologised again at the end of the item. The broadcaster has also taken steps to improve its compliance procedures, to minimise the likelihood of a recurrence. As a result, we considered the matter resolved.”