Fireman Sam dropped over ‘Koran trampling’

CHANNEL 5 has removed an episode of Fireman Sam from its online streaming service after the animated children’s programme appeared to show a character treading on pages of the Koran.

HIT Entertainment, the producer of the programme, last night issued an unreserved apology, and said it was cancelling its contract with the animation studio responsible for creating the scenes, in an episode of the show last aired on June 28.

In the programme, first shown in 2014, a character can be seen on two occasions trampling on papers being sorted on the floor of a fire station. When the papers fly into the air, at least one sheet appears to be a page from the Islamic holy book.

The scenes, which were spotted by a member of the public, led to condemnation on social networking sites.

Miqdaad Versi, Assistant Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, wrote on Twitter: “[I] have no idea what went through the producers’ minds when they thought this was a good idea.”

Mr Versi identified one page as containing verses 13 to 26 of chapter 67 of the Koran, which deals with issues such as the origins of existence and punishments meted out to non-believers.