Jack Whitehall Reveals Regret Over Crude Joke About The Queen Which Upset His Family

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

Jack Whitehall has said he regrets making a crude joke about the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

The comedian said the remark about The Queen catching a urinary infection from the Duke Of Edinburgh on 2012’s Big Fat Quiz Of The Year had upset his family.

Appearing on BBC Radio 4′s ‘Desert Island Discs’ he admitted he is now a “lot more careful” about what he says and “self-censor[s] more”.

Jack Whitehall
Jack Whitehall
Dan Istitene via Getty Images

He said: “I have a relatively thick skin but I never wanted to drag them into it”.

After he made the joke on the Channel 4 quiz show a number of viewers made complaints to broadcast regulators OfCom, resulting in headlines “every day for a week”, which he admits caused friction with 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,” he added.

Channel 4

The 29-year-old also admitted that that in the early stages of his career he did not give his family the “best version” of himself.

He said: “I got very bad at it. I’d come to life when on a show and I’d be upbeat and fun, and when I was with [my family], I was kind of twitchy and on edge and anxious about work.

“And then I took a conscious effort, I was like, I need to spend more time with them and be careful that I never do that and never take them for advantage, because I’m so close to my family, and they’re so supportive.”

‘Desert Island Discs’ is on BBC Radio 4 at 11.15am on Sundays, or listen later on iPlayer

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