BBC cleared over ‘sexist’ Essex girl jokes

The BBC has been cleared of breaking broadcasting rules with Essex girl jokes because they were “unlikely to have exceeded most listeners’ expectations”.

Ofcom investigated Scott Mills’s Radio 1 show after complaints that quips were sexist and derogatory. Jokes included: “Why does an Essex girl wear knickers? To keep her ankles warm.”

An Ofcom spokesman said: “While we acknowledge that some of the jokes had the potential to offend, we found they were unlikely to have exceeded most listeners’ expectations.”

The jokes were told by Bobby Norris, from reality TV show The Only Way Is Essex, as part of a 24-hour broadcast for Comic Relief.