BBC comic Vittorio Angelone apologises after sparking fury with ‘rape and incest’ joke aimed at content creator Rebecca Goodwin

Ms Goodwin, who has appeared on previous versions of the roast, took to social media in tears, where she informed her followers about the joke in question and its impact on her.

In his joke, Mr Angelone had referred to Ms Goodwin being raped and suggested she was a victim of incest.

Ms Goodwin has previously said she reported the alleged rape to police in July 2025.

Ms Goodwin shared a tearful TikTok addressing the joke prior to Mr Angelone’s apology; she said she wasn’t in attendance or consulted about it.

“I wasn’t made aware of any jokes that were going to be made about me. And it was never, ever okayed by me,” she clarified.

Ms Goodwin expressed her “disappointment” that comics in attendance who she saw as friends didn’t object to Mr Angelone’s joke.

“I just can’t believe that it was not only okayed by the Have a Word pod, but it was also allowed to be aired in front of millions of people as well.”

She continued through tears: “Now, I understand comedy, and I know it’s something that should just be laughed off…

“And it just hurts to know that so many people have said, ‘Yeah, you know what, that’s great.'”

After calling Mr Angelone’s gag “s**t” and “not “f***ing funny”, she added: “But it’s the fact that I wasn’t there. I was never asked if it was okay. And the people that sat there laughing at the joke are the people that I saw as genuine friends.

“Not one of them have even reached out to ask if I’m okay. And they’ve not even told me about this joke. It was you guys that told me.”

Rape charities have similarly condemned Mr Angelone’s joke. The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre told Joe.ie: “Anyone with a public platform, including performers, promoters and venues, has a responsibility to consider who is listening and the harm this kind of material can do.

To treat sexual violence as a joke betrays a deep lack of understanding of what survivors have lived through.”

Following the backlash, the Rewarding star took to Instagram on Wednesday. “I made a joke that I shouldn’t have made and I’d like to say sorry,” he began.

“The joke referenced sexual violence. At the very least I should have run the joke past the person mentioned and then still not told it because it isn’t funny.

“I let my need for validation supersede my own standards and morals. It’s completely pathetic, and I’m ashamed to realise that about myself.

“I pride myself on being able to talk about difficult topics and make them funny. I stand behind plenty of jokes that people have criticised. This is not one of those jokes.

“I’ve reached out and apologised directly to the person mentioned in the joke. I’m also sorry to all the people who are rightly upset by the joke. I know that’s not going to make it okay, but I’m still sorry.

“I am not apologising in the hopes that this all blows over. I’m apologising because that’s what you should do when you realise you’ve done something wrong.

“I’m grateful to you for calling me out and making me realise where I should’ve done better.

“Sometimes you need a lot of people telling you that you’ve fucked up to realise you’ve fucked up. I will do better in future.”

Since her TikTok went viral, Ms Goodwin said she had received apologies from a handful of the comics who were also on stage that night.

But Ms Goodwin has insisted she isn’t ready to accept their apologies.

“You’re only apologising now because I’ve said something about it on social media. So your apology has been acknowledged, but unfortunately not accepted.”

A BBC spokesperson said of Mr Angelone’s comments: “We are aware of the concerns that have been raised and are actively considering them, recognising their seriousness and the sensitivities involved.”

Rewarding is set to air this autumn and follows Francis (Mr Angelone) and Sinead (Hannah McClean), two support workers.

The series features disabled, neurodivergent and learning disabled talent in key roles and draws on lived experience to bring authenticity and nuance to its portrayal of social care, the corporation has said.