One of many BBC’s highest profile radio presenters has apologized for feedback about individuals with glass eyes in a latest video to advertise his new youngsters’s guide.
Greg James, who presents BBC Radio One’s flagship breakfast present, and former newsreader Chris Smith appeared in a video to advertise The Twits Subsequent Door, their co-written guide impressed by Roald Dahl’s well-known characters The Twits.
Viewers watched them focus on find out how to make their fictional characters “extra revolting… actually gross and horrible.” The BBC studies that when illustrator Emily Jones advised giving characters a glass eye, Smith responded: “That’s it. What a disgusting pair of Twits.”
After the video appeared, criticism of the pair included an announcement from The Royal Nationwide Institute of Blind Folks, which the BBC quotes as saying:
“When there’s constructive illustration of disabilities in youngsters’s books, youngsters with disabilities really feel seen and heard, and their associates and classmates deal with everybody the identical.
“There’s nothing in any respect revolting about prosthetic eyes, we expect they’re sensible.”
James later posted on X (previously Twitter) his remorse on the remark, writing:
“We’re so sorry to have brought about offence with the launch video. It was completely not our intention. And we apologise unreservedly. It’s now gone.
“We perceive that phrases matter and we delight ourselves on championing and welcoming everybody into the magical world of youngsters’s books. We might by no means dream of intentionally getting down to exclude anybody. With the glass eye remark, we had been trying to pay homage to one of many Twits’ most well-known pranks involving a glass of beer with the intention to remind individuals of Dahl’s notorious horrible two. It’s on no account a suggestion that this kinds any a part of the plot of the brand new story nor was it our intention to recommend that it was in any manner disgusting. It’s unlucky that the phrase disgusting seems to be a direct touch upon that. That’s an error on our half. We’re devastated that it’s come throughout like this however fully perceive why there may be anger. And we admire everybody rightly calling it out. We hear that absolutely, we’re so upset that we made a mistake however we’re nonetheless extremely pleased with this guide and we’re excited to get on the market and share it with younger readers everywhere in the world x
James and Smith have co-authored The Twits Subsequent Door – one guide in a brand new collection commissioned by the Roald Dahl Story Firm. Netflix bought the rights to the Roald Dahl property in 2021.