A BBC talk show that discusses all things plants caused a racial stir last fall when an audience member sought advice on the Rhodochiton Volubilis, which the Brits informally call "the black man's willy."
During the discussion on Radio 4's "Gardeners' Question Time" show, Bob Flowerdew admitted he had "only ever seen one close up - and not that color." Anne Swithinbank claimed: "I've never seen one in my life...They don't really like the cold, as you can imagine. They shrivel up and look very unhappy."
The comments, recorded at the Chilcompton Gardening Club in Somerset last October, led to a flood of complaints accusing the host of perpetuating a racial stereotype by using the plant's nickname. Producers initially defended the segment as "entertaining," but the BBC's editorial complaints department ruled that the phrase was unacceptable and potentially offensive "in ways not fully appreciated when the matter was first considered."
"Potential for racial offense is not always an easy thing to gauge," the BBC continued in its statement. "In this case, there was nothing derogatory of black people in the language used. Nevertheless, it is clear that some listeners did infer a derogatory intention. We regret this. With hindsight, we believe it would have been preferable to omit the item from the program because of the risk that it could be misconstrued."
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