Citizen Khan may face Ofcom investigation

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/aug/30/ofcom-investigate-bbc-citizen-khan

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Ofcom is considering launching an investigation into BBC1's Citizen Khan, a comedy about a modern Asian family, after receiving complaints that it stereotypes Muslims and insults Islam.

The TV regulator has received about 20 complaints about the sitcom, which debuted on BBC1 in Monday night, and is now assessing them.

Ofcom will then make a decision as to whether the complaints warrant a formal investigation to see whether the BBC has broken any UK broadcasting rules relating to viewer harm and offence.

The BBC had received 187 complaints by Tuesday about the show, which follows the life of a self-appointed "Muslim community leader" and his British-Pakistani family in Birmingham, following its broadcast.

The number of complaints has almost certainly increased since then, propelled by media coverage of the show, prompting the BBC to decide not to release any updated figures.

Viewers complained that the show was offensive and there have been comparisons with the controversial 1970s comedy Mind Your Language.

The show was groundbreaking for the BBC, the first Asian sitcom commissioned specifically for BBC1, created by and starring British Muslim Adil Ray.

Comedy chat show The Kumars At No 42 – featuring a British-Indian family – also appeared on BBC1 but began life on BBC2.

The first episode in the six-part series attracted an average audience of 3.6 million, a 21.5% share, between 10.20pm and 10.50pm on Monday.

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