Despite the storm over his rape joke

The BBC is to air Vittorio Angelone’s first sitcom next week, despite the furore over his rape gag.

The Corporation’s Northern Ireland arm had previously said it was ‘actively considering’ concerns over his comments about the rape victim and OnlyFans creator Rebecca Goodwin, at a filmed  roast a year ago.

But the broadcaster has decided to push ahead with Rewarding, in which the comic stars alongside Blue Lights actress Hannah McClean as care workers in Belfast.

 The pair are described as ‘doing their best to care for their clients - if not always each other’ in the comedy, which features disabled, neurodivergent and learning disabled talent in key roles.

In episode one, which will air on BBC One Northern Ireland and iPlayer at 10.40pm on Friday November 13, McClean’s character Sinead arrives enthused for the new job she has spent three years studying for, only to be met with a jaded team and run-down facilities.

Questions were raised about the broadcast of the show after footage circulated of Angelone at a roast run and filmed by the Have A Word podcast in which he told fellow comic Freddy Quinne: ‘Freddy, if you’re here, who’s raping Rebecca Goodwin? That’s a joke. Of course it’s her dad.’

After the footage emerged, the BBC said it would be ‘discussing the issues raised’ with producers, adding: ‘The comments made by Vittorio Angelone are unacceptable and wrong. They do not reflect BBC values and would have no place in our output.'

After the storm broke, Angelone apologised directly to Goodwin for the joke and said: '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.’

He added: 'I am not apologising in the hope 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.’

Goodwin – who had previously appeared on the Have A Word podcast – said she acknowledged but did not accept the apology. 

Since the furore erupted, Angelone has suspended his podcast Mike and Vittorio’s Guide To Parenting, co-hosted with fellow comic Mike Rice.

Six episodes of Rewarding, written by Matthew McDevitt, Paddy Campbell and Faebian Averies, have been made by Conker Pictures. It is Angelone’s first acting role, beyond appearances in Irish sketch series No Worries If Not!

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Published: 2 Nov 2026