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Jack Whitehall Admits His Joke About The Queen Went Too Far

Jack Whitehall Admits His Joke About The Queen Went Too Far

In an upcoming episode of Desert Island Discs, the British comedian admitted the adverse effect a joke he made in 2012 had on his family

Chris Ogden

Chris Ogden

Comedians wouldn't be funny if they didn't push the boundaries in their humour every now and then, but one has admitted that on one famous occasion he probably overstepped the mark.

British stand-up comic Jack Whitehall has come clean about the criticism he received for a crude joke he made about the Queen on the Big Fat Quiz of The Year, admitting that it went too far.

In case you don't remember the gag, the 29-year-old stand-up appeared on Channel 4's annual round-up way back in 2012, making a joke about the Queen catching a urinary infection from her husband The Duke of Edinburgh. Sadly for him, many Brits didn't appreciate it.

CHECK OUT A JACK JOKE FROM BIG FAT QUIZ OF THE YEAR:

Thinking back to the gag in an episode of Radio 4's Desert Island Discs - set to air this morning - Jack admitted that joking about the royal family's sex life was 'a crass joke I actually regret'.

Jack's joke sparked widespread criticism of the show, as a number of viewers made complaints to the UK's official broadcast regulator Ofcom the day after the show aired.

While the joke didn't end up doing Jack's career much harm, he has now expressed his regret about the effect the media attention stirred up by the gag ended up having on his family.

"That was not nice because it was something I'd said that caused them upset and that was the bit that hurt the most," Jack will admit today.

"I'm fine, I have a relatively thick skin, but I never wanted to drag them into it."

The backlash Jack received for the joke led him to vow to clean up his act, as the Fresh Meat actor admitted that he is now 'a lot more careful' with his jokes and make the effort to 'self-censor more'.

Jack Whitehall meets Prince Harry in 2015. Did they discuss *that* joke about Harry's gran?
PA

Jack also confessed that having not shown his family the 'best version' of himself in his early years as a stand-up - coming home 'twitchy and on edge and anxious' about work - he now makes more of a conscious effort to appreciate time spent with his loved ones.

Jack's known for having a particularly strong working relationship with his agent dad Michael, as the father-son match-up have presented TV shows like Backchat and Travels With My Father together.

However, he said it 'needles' that Michael's connections didn't make his entering comedy easier, saying that 'the fact that my dad used to look after Christopher Biggins' didn't help him all too much. At least it means Jack can call his success his own.

It's good to hear Jack's learnt so much from his early career. You can listen to the full interview with Jack on Radio 4 this morning at 11:15am GMT. Better stick the kettle on then.

Featured Image Credit: Channel 4/The Big Fat Quiz of the Year

Topics: Entertainment, Celebrity