Catherine Tate cleared of homophobia accusation.

Accusing Catherine Tate of being homophobic? How very dare they!

But that's what one viewer thought, saying that with her effeminate character Derek, people "were invited to laugh at the character's campness and 'obvious' gayness".

But BBC governors have today rejected the complaint, along with two others made about Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles' use of the word 'gay' and an interview with US rapper The Game on Jo Whiley's show.

The man who complained said all three incidents demonstrated that "the BBC was failing to protect lesbians and gay men in the same way it protected other minority groups from racist, sexist and stereotyped material".

But the corporation's Governors Complaints Committee has now decided the items "met the required editorial standards and did not demonstrate homophobia".

The ruling added that 'gay', as used by Moyles when he was deriding a ring tone, had now become playground slang for 'lame' or 'rubbish', so need not be offensive to homosexuals.

Meanwhile, Whiley's "sincere, full and swift" apology for The Game's comments were seen as enough. The rapper, real name Jayceon Taylor, had described gay men as 'faggots' and 'not real men' in his interview.

Of the complaint against Tate, the governors said: "The humour derived from the Derek sketches lay in the fact that he rejected the acceptance of those around him and refused to recognise himself as gay, rather than in the fact of his being gay.

"Derek was an extreme stereotype of a gay man but humour is often based on stereotypes. The purpose of the sketches was to be funny, not realistic."

Comedy not realistic? Now there's a thought!