Published Wednesday, 20 March 2013
The Mr. Bean star dressed up as the Archbishop of Canterbury in a comedy sketch for the charity's Red Nose Day TV marathon last Friday, but sparked numerous complaints for using coarse language and poking fun at religious issues.
BBC bosses subsequently apologised, insisting the actor "did not mean to cause any offence", but it has now emerged Atkinson's elder brother, 64-year-old academic Rodney, is among his critics.
Rodney tells the Daily Telegraph newspaper: "I was also appalled by Rowan's sketch portraying the Archbishop of Canterbury demanding 'wonga' (money) from the masses glued to Red Nose Day. I thought at first it was a comment on the grasping nature of a Church, with many palaces taking from the poor - but, no, it was a bunch of wealthy comedians doing it. The language was pure adolescent (screenwriter) Richard Curtis/(comedian/author) Ben Elton at their worst - language which Rowan, in his youth, was not too keen on, and which his family always found rather pathetic."
In the sketch, Atkinson quipped, "Jesus said love your neighbours... but it doesn't mean s**g your neighbours" and he also compared boyband One Direction to the disciples of Jesus Christ and insisted praying "doesn't work".
Officials at U.K. watchdog Ofcom are said to be looking into the complaints about Atkinson's sketch.