The network was universally slammed after reporter Colin Paterson asked Andrew Scott if he had seen Barry Keoghan’s “naked dance scene” in “Saltburn.” Scott confirmed that he had, only to be asked about Keoghan’s penis — and if it was real or a prosthetic.
“How well do you know him?” Paterson asked Scott, before the actor, who is gay, walked off.
The moment spread like wildfire, with social media users calling it “frankly disgusting” and “appalling.” The reaction spurred the broadcaster to address the incident Friday in a statement — which itself was ill received.
“Our question to Andrew Scott was meant to be a light hearted reflection of the discussion around the scene and was not intended to cause offence,” BBC explained in a written response. “Saltburn writer and director, Emerald Fennell, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor … were also asked about the scene.”
Ellis-Bextor’s song, “Murder on the Dancefloor,” was used in the explicit sequence.
“We do, however, accept that the specific question asked to Andrew Scott was misjudged,” added the BBC. “After speaking with Andrew on the carpet, our reporter acknowledged on air that his questioning may have gone too far and that he was sorry if this was the case.”
While the broadcaster argued Keoghan “himself” previously addressed the scene, and that Scott was asked because “Saltburn” has had “cultural impact,” Scott had no involvement in the film — so critics argued he was only asked about the scene because he’s gay.
Users on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, noted the BBC used phrases like “may have” and “if this was the case” in their apology — which also didn’t include a statement from Paterson.
The network’s “non-direct apology introduce uncertainty, minimising responsibility by framing the reporter’s overstep as a mere possibility, not a fact,” wrote one user.
Scott, who stars in the BAFTA-nominated queer love story “All of Us Strangers,” has spoken more recently about his identity as a gay man.
“It’s an extraordinary gift to my life and just to be able to see the real beauty in being gay is completely wonderful,” he told “Attitude” in January. “The older I get, just the more I feel so lucky to have been born gay and that pervades my life in the sense of all my friendships.”