The BBC is set to replace an episode of Have I Got News For You with an edited version after its complaints unit found that a joke made by Katherine Ryan about Victoria Beckham lacked sufficient editorial justification.

Ryan made the remark during the 7 November programme while the panel was discussing a 2013 email reportedly linked to David Beckham. The discussion touched on an offensive term allegedly used by the former footballer, after which Ryan made a separate reference involving Victoria Beckham.

Two viewers subsequently complained that the comedian’s comment about Victoria was gratuitously offensive.

After reviewing the complaint, the BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) distinguished between the discussion of the alleged contents of David Beckham’s email and Ryan’s joke about his wife. The unit found that the discussion of the alleged language could be justified within the programme but concluded that the reference to Victoria did not have sufficient editorial justification.

The ECU said the BBC’s guidelines allow programmes to contain material that may cause offence where there is a valid editorial reason for including it. However, it determined that the particular remark about Victoria Beckham did not meet that standard.

The original broadcast will therefore be replaced on BBC iPlayer with an edited version, according to a report by The Independent.

The BBC ruling comes amid renewed attention on Victoria Beckham’s business, following the fashion label’s first reported operating profit in 18 years. Accounts cited by the Financial Times showed the company made £7.3 million in operating profit in 2025, compared with a £1.6 million loss the previous year.

Revenue also increased from £112.7 million in 2024 to £129.8 million in 2025, with Beckham saying the company had overcome earlier difficulties and was now expanding at what she described as a sensible pace.