Ofcom censures BBC after Curtis swearing

Ofcom has censured the BBC after Radio Ulster aired a live interview in which actor Tony Curtis swore on a number of occasions.

The Talkback show, broadcast on May 22 at 1pm, saw Curtis refer to journalists as "b**tards", describe his 1958 Oscar nomination as "bulls**t" and use the phrase "f**k off" when retelling an anecdote.

He appeared not to be aware that the programme was live, telling the presenter: "Now listen, my dear friend, you can take that, er... oh, it is live."

Both the host and Curtis apologised during the show, while the BBC made a public apology and sent a letter to Ofcom, which received two complaints following the incident.

The regulator said: "While Ofcom acknowledged that the apologies to listeners went some way in mitigating the potential offence of the language used, Ofcom considered that the language, in particular the use of the word 'f**k', was likely to have gone beyond the expectations of the audience for a programme of this type and at this time."

The BBC informed Ofcom that it had previously told Curtis and his press team that the interview would be broadcast live but that the actor had genuinely forgotten.