Iain Lee: Flabbergasted

Former BBC presenter Iain Lee said he was “flabbergasted” after the corporation’s trust ruled an interview in which he labelled anti-gay views as bigotry broke its editorial guidelines.

Lee, a former presenter of Channel 4’s The 11 O’Clock Show, left his breakfast slot on BBC Three Counties Radio after the clash with a Christian lawyer and a former prison worker who cited verses from the Bible listing homosexuality as a sin.

Lee told lawyer Libby Powell: “Do you support bigotry? Yes, homophobia is bigotry … People like you break my heart because you’re doing Christianity and religion a real disservice.”

He later told the preacher, who was claiming constructive dismissal at an employment tribunal: “I find the view that being gay is sinful, I find that view completely repugnant and disgraceful.”

The trust’s editorial complaints unit said it was a “serious breach” of the BBC’s editorial guidelines for impartiality. It said Lee “did not show due impartiality” and behaved in an “inappropriately combative manner”.

Lee said on Twitter: “Genuinely, I’m flabbergasted. The report contains examples of where I was wrong. Apart from one line, I kept replying ‘what’s wrong with that?’” ...

Media Guardian.

Fucking ridiculous.

Fagburn usually defends the BBC from its bashers, but this 'Giving bigots airtime unchallenged for 'balance'' is such tosh.

BBC Three Counties Radio: Alan Partridge Quits!

A BBC radio presenter has left his job after a row with bosses sparked by calling anti-gay views 'bigotry' on his show.

Iain Lee, along with the BBC, has apologised for his comments which were made during his show which were directed at Christian Legal Centre lawyer Libby Powell, when she stated that according to the Bible, homosexuality was a sin.

Powell had joined the programme, BBC Three Counties Radio breakfast show, to defend a reverend who had been accused of being homophobic after citing anti-gay verses from the Bible at a prison service.

During Lee’s breakfast show, he referred to the anti-gay passages in the Christian holy book as “bigoted” and “homophobic”.

Lee asked Powell if she “supported bigotry” and said that branding homosexuality as a sin was fuelling hatred.

Powell argued that the anti-gay passages did not constitute bigotry, because the Bible verses did not call for people to attack gay people, but that it was more about “the lifestyle”, and pointed to other Bible teachings which also frowned upon “people who have sex before marriage” and “people who steal".

The BBC and Lee have said that the presenter had been “at several points inappropriate”...

Mirror.

Well done Iain, you're a top lad and local radio's best-loved anarchist (who I secretly quite fancy).

Time for the BBC, like all media, to stop treating Christian nutters like they've got some god-given right to talk about gay stuff.

TV's Iain Lee: Holds Hands With A Bloke In Public!

A fascinating social experiment conducted by Mr Lee for BBC Three Counties Radio. Is he still on TV?

Who knew??? *

Fagburn's surprised he's surprised some people are shocked.

Mind you, this is in Luton.

Update: Guardian Witness asks readers to do their work for them by replying to the spectacularly daft question; Have you experienced homophobia in your day-to-day life? (Ironically illustrated with a gay-shaming photo of faces obscured by a sodding rainbow flag).

Do you think anyone said 'no'?

* Ian wrote later for The Independent he had no idea how much homophobia there still was.