EastEnders viewers were very unimpressed to hear Danny Dyer use an offensive slur in last night’s episode.
During a conversation with Shirley about an upcoming Italian night he’s planning to hold at the Queen Vic, Mick Carter was heard to say:
“I’m talking about this eyetie night we’re meant to be having, you know, Johnny giving it all the ‘live like a native’ spiel.”
The word eyetie is an offensive term for Italian people, which emerged in the Second World War.
And EastEnders viewers were very quick to pick up on the slur.
https://twitter.com/LFitz3/status/818910435583950848
Who writes this shit #Eastenders ? "Eyetie food" ?
— Tim A Roberts (@Tim_A_Roberts) January 10, 2017
Erm…#eastenders….isn't Eyetie a bit of a….slur?
— Sooz Kempner (@SoozUK) January 10, 2017
https://twitter.com/MatthewV_ENG/status/818907661261541376
Today the BBC issued a statement saying:
“The character is well-known for using slang – or in this case an old-fashioned term that has fallen out of general use – but it was not aimed at anyone and never intended to offend.”
