Joan gets het up over perceived 'racist' slur.

Blimey, you don't want to get on the wrong side of Joan Rivers, do you?

The 72-year-old comic was spitting venom yesterday after a sly aside by social commentator Darcus Howe.

He said the word 'black' offended the comic, after she had said earlier on Radio 4's Midweek show that she didn't care about race, only what people themselves were like.

She took that as implying she was racist - and wasn't slow in defending herself.

"Wait? No! What? Now just stop right there!" Rivers, banging the table: "Black does not offend me. How dare you! How dare you say that!

"The use of the term 'black' offends me? Where the hell are you coming from? You have got such a chip on your shoulder! I don't give a damn if you are black, white..."

The savage slanging match continued for several minutes, during which she called Howe a "son of a bitch".

It's a very bizarre episode for the Midweek programme, which normally confines itself to very civilised discussion. The next item after the row, for instance, was about plant photography.

You can hear the aggro via Radio 4's Listen Again service. Go to www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/midweek.shtml.