Katherine Ryan Responds to BBC Complaint Over Victoria Beckham Joke

Comedian Katherine Ryan has stated she tried to "make it right" with Victoria Beckham following a joke made about the fashion designer on the BBC program "Have I Got News For You." The BBC's Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) upheld complaints regarding the remark, which linked an obscene term to Beckham. The incident occurred in November 2025, during an episode hosted by Ryan.

The segment in question discussed reports of David Beckham allegedly using an obscene term in an email to his publicist concerning his knighthood in 2013. The ECU ruled that while panellist Maisie Adam's use of the term was justified as it referenced David Beckham's alleged use, Ryan's subsequent comment about Victoria Beckham lacked editorial justification. The ECU stated, "There was no such justification for a comment which presented Victoria Beckham as equivalent to a particularly offensive word."

Ryan, 43, acknowledged the situation in a recent interview, telling The Times that she felt accountability for hurting feelings, even those of celebrities. "Even if they’re a massive celebrity, I do feel bad about that. I try to make it right," she said. She noted that her husband, Bobby Kootstra, had also expressed disapproval, telling her, "You get yourself into trouble sometimes, Katherine."

Following the broadcast, Ryan posted a video on social media attributing the remark partly to postpartum stress, stating she was suffering from matrescence and had a ten-day-old baby at the time. She questioned whether she should have left the house in that condition and added, "Sometimes I forget that celebrities are not my friends. If I had called Jimmy Carr a c, he wouldn't have minded."

Ryan also shared a screenshot of a message she sent to Victoria Beckham after the show, aiming to clarify that it was a "stupid joke" and she meant no harm. The ECU's ruling came after two viewers found the remark to be "gratuitously offensive."