BBC sorry for Paxman 'Newsnight' swearing

The BBC has apologised after Jeremy Paxman swore during a Newsnight election special in frustration at the UK's hung parliament.

At the end of the current affairs programme in the late afternoon of May 8, the presenter uttered the word "b**locks" while introducing rock band The xx, who have provided music for the BBC's election coverage.

"We play out with the band of the moment, whose music you may recognise from some of the BBC's election coverage, The xx," said Paxman.

"It's not just because we seem to have made such a b**locks of the simple act of putting an 'X' on a piece of paper. Goodnight."

The BBC yesterday declined to confirm the exact number of complaints received following Paxman's profanity, but a spokeswoman did apologise for the occurrence.

"We are sorry if anyone has been offended," she told The Daily Telegraph.

Earlier in the year, Paxman was forced to apologise on-air during Newsnight for saying the word "f**king" while repeating an extract from a book.