https://www.thenational.scot/news/25008536.bbc-rejects-complaint-derry-londonderry-answer-pointless/#comments-anchor

BBC executives have thrown out a complaint after “Derry” was accepted as a correct answer on the hit show Pointless.

The city in Northern Ireland, near the border with the republic, is officially known as Londonderry by the UK Government – and a viewer complained that this term was the only correct answer.

In the show Pointless, contestants have to give an answer to a question or category which none of a previously surveyed 100 people have given.

In the broadcast in question, which was shown on BBC One on November 11 last year, contestants were asked to name a city in the UK without the letter A in the name.

The criteria which answers were judged against was “the updated list of cities with official city status published by the UK Government website at the end of August 2022”, according to the BBC’s executive complaints unit.

A contestant answered “Derry” – which was accepted as correct despite the UK Government’s official position.

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The BBC complaints unit reported: “A viewer complained an inaccurate answer had been accepted by the presenter, leading to one of the contesting couples being unfairly prevented from going through to the next round.

“The ECU considered whether the programme met the requirement for due accuracy set out in the guidelines.”

It concluded: “In the ECU’s view, it was within the discretion of an entertainment programme like Pointless to allow such a reply.”

The naming of Derry is contentious, with street signs in Northern Ireland frequently graffitied to remove the word “London” from the start of the city’s UK Government name.

by UnnaturalStride

29 comments

  1. If you want a wee lift to your mood, imagine the dickhead who put in this complaint, just sitting at home absolutely _seething_.

  2. > BBC executives have thrown out a complaint after “Derry” was accepted as a correct answer on the hit show Pointless.
    >
    > The city… is officially known as Londonderry …and a viewer complained that this term was the only correct answer.

    Jim, this is seriously petty – even for you.

  3. I get why that was accepted, both names would be correct, if the question was cities without the letter O things get more complicated.

  4. Just imagine the level of gammonry to actually bother to take the time to complain about this

  5. It is absolutely idiotic that people still use the name of a corporation to refer to a city.

  6. They do the “UK cities with X restriction” question quite often and I’d always wondered if they’d accept Derry as an answer. What I *really* want is a question where Derry would be a correct answer but Londonderry wouldn’t be, to see how they’d handle that.

  7. Derry City is the official designation by the former Derry City Council, and current Derry and Strabane District Council. The football team is Derry City FC, the airport is City of Derry Airport, there was a City of Derry Building Society until Progressive took them over.

    If they’re that confused about the city’s name, they could just ask the Apprentice Boys of Derry?

    I mean… This is like someone insisting that Hull is also an incorrect city name, because there is only officially a Kingston-upon-Hull. So I guess Hull Trains goes to an incorrect city, and Hull City AFC plays football in an incorrect city?

  8. This doesn’t do much for the notion that we’ve all got absolutely fuck all else to worry about here.

  9. How many times did this individual have to use the word ‘Pointless’ in their complaint, for it not to click that this was all probably a bit pointless.

  10. Did there even need to be an article over one complaint? Jaysus fuckin wept.

  11. You can just imagine the type of sad bastard who raised that complaint.

  12. Like Hull is not generally called Kingston upon Hull, everyone knows what is being referred to

  13. I’d love to have the time to moan about completely useless things.

  14. The show’s called Derry Girls

    The council is Derry City and Strabane

    The Gaelic team is Derry GAA

    And the soccer team is called Derry City

  15. Well, Jeffrey does have more free time these days.

  16. What a boring life some people lead, Makes me feel a lot better about my own

  17. Gregory Campbell has too much time on his hands.

  18. If the question was about cities with an ‘O’ the complaint would at least make sense on the level of a complete bigot. Londonderry has the same number of ‘A’s as Derry. (And neither is the in the UK)

  19. The only people who call it londonderry are loyalists who aren’t from there

    Even prods from the city call it Derry

    Wind yer fuckin neck in Billy

  20. I remember seeing that episode and instantly thinking someone would be raging about it. Glad to get this follow up

  21. Imagine actually calling and complaining about this. Jesus christ

  24. A couple of years back, Wee Jim Allister was on The View and the presenter asked him a question relating to “Derry.” Allister eyed him coldly and said “I take it you mean Londonderry.” Refused to answer the question until it was rephrased.

    This guy is an elected representative. Jesus Christ tonight

  27. As a Catholic I don’t mind it being called Londonderry as long as things are consistent. I am from the county and we are always called Co.Londonderry yet the city is always called Derry. I find this ridiculous given that we were named after the city. If it is County Londonderry then the city has to be Londonderry too. If the city is Derry then the county needs to be Derry too. People may say “there never was a County Derry”, well you could say the same about any county. There was no County Armagh or County Antrim before English rule yet they still have that name today. There is no reason why the county shouldn’t be Derry.

  28. From now on, I shall only be referring to Welsh places by their Welsh names purely to piss people like this off. I’m also tempted to start calling Paris “Gay Paree” and correct people when they use non local words for places, food or whatever. I’ll be sitting down for a Chicken Madras (that’s Chennai Chicken to you) in a while with the 100% English stepson who I’ve just leant a couple of books by Seamus Heaney and Dylan Thomas after a brief discussion about Taoism, language / dialect continuum & why Encona Hot sauce is the dog’s bollocks. He’s shaping up to be a proper weirdo, but a good weirdo.

  29. The other version doesn’t have an “a” either so how does it matter which one he used?

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