Lee Mack has come under fire for making fun of people with speech difficulties.
STAMMA, the British Stammering Association, has chastised the comedian, who is a regular on Would I Lie To You?, for playfully tripping over his words on an episode of the BBC panel show.
On Friday’s episode, the 54-year-old struggled to speak the word “she” while making fun of co-star Rob Brydon, 57.
‘What is she? What is she, Rob?’, Lee laughed after Rob had trouble getting his words out.
‘The suspense is killing me,’ he quipped as the studio audience chuckled.
Lee then squinted his eyes and repeated the word “she” numerous times, much to the delight of the audience and his colleagues.
‘Are you auditioning for Open All Hours?’, he asked the Gavin & Stacey star as he attempted to finish his original sentence.
Arkwright (Ronnie Barker) of the 1970s and 1980s comedy Arkwright was presented as having a stutter for humorous effect.
In reaction to Lee’s remarks, the charity STAMMA called them “disappointing,” given how speech difficulties affect people’s daily lives.
‘Around 8% of kids and at least 1% of adults stammer,’ they said in a statement.
‘This is our voice, it’s how we talk. The thoughtless ridicule we saw on WILTY offers us a stark choice between being laughed at or being silent.
‘We know it wasn’t meant to hurt or offend, but for many who stammer, it does.’
They continued with a strong message to those who stammer.
‘To all those adults and teens out there who stammer, and all those parents who have kids who stammer, know that there are many people who accept that stammering is simply the way some of us talk.
‘Who make space and time for us in conversation and value our fabulous, stammered voices.’
CEO Jane Powell also declared: ‘Stammering isn’t a joke, and this isn’t the 70s.
‘Thousands of people who love WILTY – and who stammer – will have watched the show on Friday, and felt uncomfortable and embarrassed watching Lee Mack mock how they talk.
‘It’s a shame the BBC didn’t see that this was worth editing out.’
Reps for Lee Mack have been contacted for comment.
Source My Celebrity Life.