BRANDED? EXCLUSIVE Jo accused of sparking Thatch 'Golly' row.

Byline: BY MARK JEFFERIES 

JO Brand was last night accused of sparking the race row which led to Carol Thatcher being dumped from the BBC's The One Show.

The Mirror reported yesterday that Carol was in the studio's dressing room when she called a tennis star a "golliwog".

Now it has emerged comedienne Jo was "absolutely furious" when she heard Carol, 55, use the word and told colleagues it was disgraceful before storming out of the room.

A BBC source, who was in the room last Thursday, said: "Everyone was drinking and it was loud. Carol was talking. Very loudly, she said of a tennis player, 'he looks like a very huggable golliwog'. He'd just let his hair down - it was Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

"Jo looked shocked and had a go at Carol. While Jo and host Adrian Chiles were still there, the executive producer was called."

Another source said: "Jo made it very clear that she was appalled."

Her agent said yesterday: "Jo has not made a complaint to anyone at the BBC. "The executive producer called Jo the following morning to apologise for what happened."

A message was last night posted on the show's website by "The One Show Team". It read: "The remark made by Carol Thatcher in The One Show Green Room last Thursday caused considerable offence.

"There were guests and several members of the show production team present, as well as Adrian, Christine Bleakley, co-host with Chiles and celebrity guest Jo Brand.

"It has been suggested the word in question was used in jest. This was not the case and the use of the word to describe a black sportsman caused instant offence.

"Jo questioned Carol about it at the time but neither she nor Adrian contacted the press. The following day, a number of people who had either heard the comment or learned of it, made their feelings known to the show's executive producer. Carol was given every opportunity to offer an unconditional apology but declined to do so."

Her spokesman feared the row was a campaign against ex-Tory PM Margaret Thatcher's daughter. She added: "We issued a fulsome apology that was rejected."

Carol still works for the BBC. She was on Sunday's Andrew Marr Show and yesterday worked on a documentary. A source said: "No one thinks Carol's a racist so she can still work for us. The problem is she offended people on The One Show."

It has been suggested the word in question was used in jest. This was not the case

THE ONE SHOW TEAM

CAPTION(S):

SCOOP Carol and Jo-Wilfried. Inset, yesterday's Daily Mirror; TENSE Jo at home yesterday and, inset, sharing sofa with Carol on the show