Andrew Sachs defends Carol Thatcher

Andrew Sachs, the Fawlty Towers actor at the centre of the ‘Manuelgate’ affair, which led to the suspension of Jonathan Ross, is among those who have come to the defence of Carol Thatcher, since she was sacked by the BBC on Tuesday. The former Prime Minister’s daughter lost her job as a roving reporter on The One Show after likening a black tennis player to a ‘golliwog’ during an off-screen conversation.

"I don't see anything really awful about it," Sachs told the Daily Telegraph. "It doesn't deserve this attention. Her comments were not aired so who really was offended, apart from the BBC? It is a much more minor offence than that committed by Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand. I'm lost for words. It is bloody stupid."

As reported here, Thatcher was removed from The One Show after she referred to the French-Congolese tennis player, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, as a ‘golliwog’ during a discussion about the Australian Open tennis tournament. The remark was not broadcast but was heard by The One Show’s presenter Adrian Chiles, the comedian Jo Brand and several members of the production team. It was then leaked to the press.

Thatcher apologised for the remark, which she said was a light-hearted reference to the tennis player's hair. But the BBC, perhaps after studying photos of Tsonga, who has a short haircut unlike the golliwog made famous on Robertson’s jam pots, decided this was not sufficient.

Charles Moore, Lady Thatcher's official biographer, is another who believes Thatcher's remark was harmless. Wring in the Daily Telegraph, he said: "If Carol used the supposedly shocking word ‘golliwog’, you can be quite sure that she used it without malice – indeed, with good will.

"All through Carol Thatcher's childhood – indeed, until into her thirties – golliwogs were popular toys. Robertson's jam marketed itself with a golliwog, which appeared on every jar. You could collect golliwog stickers and send them off, and then you got a smart metal golliwog badge."

And Thatcher herself remains unrepentant. The 55-year-old told the Daily Telegraph: "It was a joke. It was a BBC fuss and frankly I am just astonished. I think it is extraordinary. They have turned this into a circus and I just happen to have the opinions of a normal person."

Meanwhile, the BBC has rejected claims made by Lord Tebbit, among others, that Thatcher's sacking was a way of getting back at her mother. "Far from an agenda to damage Carol, producers from The One Show spent the weekend trying to persuade her to apologise to the individuals who were offended - this would have resolved the matter. The notion that this matter is in any way linked to her family is just silly."

Meanwhile, the managers of a gift shop at the Queen's Sandrigham estate in Norfolk have been forced to withdraw a golliwog doll after complaints form the public. A spokesman for the estate said: "The management of the shop have said they did not intend to offend anyone by selling this product and have apologised if any offence has been caused." ·