Ruth Jones has responded to the backlash following the use of a homophobic slur in the one-off Gavin & Stacey Christmas episode.
The slur occurred during a rendition of The Pogues and Kirsty McColl's festive favourite 'Fairytale of New York'.
You know the one, we all do.
Well, in the episode, Nessa and Bryn performed a version of the 1987 hit, but people weren't happy about their inclusive of the offensive word.
Advert
In recent years, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the lyrical content of that song, with some people arguing that the song should be banned or - at the very least - the lyric removed.
Even Shane MacGowan from The Pogues has been forced to answer questions about it.
Anyway, after the show caused 11 people to complain to TV watchdog Ofcom about the slur, and many more complained online, Ruth Jones stepped in to argue that the show decided to include it to "remain true to the characters."
Speaking to Sun Online, she said: "It is a different climate. But we have to remain true to the characters, to who they were.
"Characters in Gavin & Stacey are kind and big-hearted, I believe. So I think no one is going to be intentionally hurtful.
"But by the same token, they're not necessarily going to be completely politically correct or be aware of political correctness."
That's basically the defence that The Pogues have used in the past, by the way. Responding to criticism, Shane MacGowan said: "There is no political correctness to it.
"I've been told it's insulting to gays; I don't understand how that works."
In a further open letter, he wrote: "The word was used by the character because it fitted with the way she would speak and with her character.
"She is not supposed to be a nice person or even a wholesome person. She is a woman of a certain generation at a certain time in history and she is down on her luck and desperate.
"Her dialogue is as accurate as I could make it but she is not intended to offend! She is just supposed to be an authentic character.
"Not all characters in songs and stories are angels or even decent and respectable, sometimes characters in songs and stories have to be evil or nasty in order to tell the story effectively."
Anyway, it seems as if most people were happy about the end result, given that the show was the most watched Christmas special since 2008, dragging in an audience share of 49.2 percent, according to the BBC.
Featured Image Credit: BBCTopics: TV and Film, Music, UK Entertainment