BBC sparks fury after broadcasting ‘uplifting’ hip-hop star rapping ‘f*** Nigel Farage’ during Reading Festival set
The BBC has caused outrage after broadcasting acclaimed British rapper Loyle Carner’s comments where he said “f*** Nigel Farage”.
The 31-year old rapper, real name Benjamin Gerard Coyle-Larner, took to the stage at Reading Festival to launch an expletive filled attack against the Reform UK leader, as well as JK Rowling and “toxic masculinity bulls***”.
Performing on The Grid stage at the annual music festival in Berkshire, the NME Award-winning rapper said: “I can’t think of a line. F*** Nigel Farage and Free Palestine.”
Elsewhere in the set, he said: “This song is called ‘Horcrux’ ’cause I love Harry Potter. But I don’t really like JK Rowling, do you know what I mean?”
In the set, Mr Carner criticised “toxic masculinity bulls***” while sharing an story about his five-year-old son, and finished it off with an order for the crowd to “make some noise for the NHS”.
One user on social media said: “Another dull artist who uses ‘Politically Aware Bingo’ to keep everyone on side and get booked. Embarrassing.”
Another added: “Stick to the music instead of trying to look cool and relevant and jumping on the bandwagon”, with a third saying: “Cheer for the Government, and put down the cute lady who wrote books about little kids with magic powers! This is a truly upside down world.”
A fourth said: “Artists are so scared of being cancelled. They are forced into being liberal sycophants spouting this script at every event. Bore off.”
The Reform UK leader was slammed by Loyle Carner
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PAThe recording of the performance was uploaded to BBC iPlayer with the caption: “A poignant, uplifting set from the twice-Mercury-nominated British rapper.”
Mr Carner has been critical of the Reform UK leader in the past, telling reporters on the red carpet of the Brit Awards: “I feel, in my circle, or the echo chamber I exist in, to say that I hate Nigel Farage, it’s not hard to say that, do you know what I mean? It’s obvious.
“For me, what feels more powerful instead of being negative all the time, which is so easy because there’s a lot of negativity around me, is to try and find ways to express some sort of hope and generosity to the people who exist like me who maybe feel marginalised or oppressed or left behind.
“Because there’s enough s*** on the news that’s making me feel sad.”
Loyle Carner made the comments during his Grid Stage set
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A BBC spokesman told GB News: “The BBC provided extensive coverage of Reading Festival across the weekend, featuring performances from a wide range of artists.”
The broadcaster added the festival is a third-party event and the live broadcast included a warning for “strong language’ and discriminatory language”.
This year’s festival also featured a set on the Gallery Stage from Belfast-based Irish rap group Kneecap who took aim at the Prime Minister, saying: “Andy Burnham said a united Ireland is off the table, so everybody, ‘Andy Burnham’s a w*****,”.
Drawing parallels between Palestinian and Irish history, the group spoke of recognising “displacement, colonialism and forced starvation of a population” and called on the audience to show support, adding “f*** Benjamin Netanyahu, and free, free Palestine!”
Kneecap made the comments on the Gallery stage during the Reading Festival
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It came after a previous editing incident, which saw the BBC face criticism for continuing to livestream the performance of punk duo Bob Vylan as they led chants of “death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)” at last year’s Glastonbury Festival.
The duo, comprised of drummer Wade Laurence George, known as Bobbie Vylan, and singer Bobby Vylan, real name Pascal Robinson-Foster, confirmed they are taking legal action against the BBC.
A post on social media from the duo said: “We have decided to take legal action against the BBC. In the immediate aftermath of our performance at Glastonbury 2025, the BBC wasted no time in placing labels upon us that did not, do not and never will fit.
“As a corporation that receives the majority of its funding from the public, it has disappointingly continued to prove how little it represents the interests of the people and our access to unbiased news and information.”
The duo also said they had “no choice but to take on this fight”, concluding: “Free Palestine and justice for the Filton 25.”
The BBC streamed the set live on iPlayer, a decision the broadcaster later said it regretted
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GETTYFollowing the performance, they were dropped from several festivals and events, including last year’s RADAR festival in Manchester, a show at a German music venue, and an American tour.
Mr Robinson-Foster said on the Louis Theroux Podcast last October he was “not regretful” of the chant and would “do it again”.
Avon and Somerset Police later opened a criminal investigation over the incident but said in December that no further action would be taken.
The BBC has declined to comment on the case.