The Last Leg host Adam Hills has spoken out after a parody song featured in the latest episode of the satirical Channel 4 show sparked controversy.
During Friday’s edition of The Last Leg, Adam and his co-stars performed a rewritten version of Three Lions, highlighting many people’s issues with the current World Cup in Qatar.
However, many took issue with the musical number due to its graphic lyrics describing the execution of gay men.
Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, and could lead to seven years in prison, with sexual activity between men potentially resulting in the death penalty.
At the beginning of the routine, Adam was heard singing: “Everyone seems to know the score, but we just can’t ignore dead workers on the floor.”
Later, he and Jess Robinson continued: “So many jokes, so many sneers, but they’ll jail you if you’re queer, and we’ve known it for 12 years.
“But in Qatar if Alan Carr toured and was joined by Boy George and then even RuPaul, they could end up three heads on a spike, meanwhile Beckham’s grinning.”
This final lyric led to the comedy song being heavily criticised online, with some comments branding it “tasteless” and “disgusting”.
Responding to the backlash on Wednesday morning, Adam tweeted: “I’m sorry. This song was intended to be a protest at the World Cup being held in Qatar where it is illegal to be gay.”
While the episode aired on Friday, the song was posted on The Last Leg’s official Twitter page on Monday, days after five people were killed in a mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ venue in Colorado Springs.
Adam added that his Last Leg song was “filmed and aired before the horrific shooting in America”.
HuffPost UK contacted Channel 4 for comment on Tuesday but did not receive a response.
Many key figures from the world of football have sparked criticism for their involvement in the 2022 World Cup.
In particular, David Beckham has come under fire over his ambassadorship deal with Qatar, which has been reported to be worth £10 million.
Comedian Joe Lycett previously said he would donate £10K to LGBTQ+ charities if David pulled out of the deal, or shred the money if he went ahead with it.
When David failed to cancel the arrangement, or even acknowledge Joe’s campaign, the comic went ahead with his end of the bargain, but later clarified that the money-shredding had been a staged stunt in order to drum up conversation.
Meanwhile, Gary Lineker began the BBC’s World Cup broadcast with a speech highlighting the issues in Qatar, while Alex Scott received praise for sporting a “One Love” solidarity armband after it was revealed that the England squad would not be doing so.