The BBC has been rapped by Ofcom over a Glastonbury Festival interview in which rock star Iggy Pop referred to a “Paki shop”. The singer made his comments to presenters Jo Whiley and Mark Radcliffe during a live studio chat on BBC2 after finishing his headline set.

As part of a rambling anecdote about his clothes, he said: “The beauty of being me is that you can wear expensive clobber and you can walk down Camden High Street at a Paki shop…” Neither presenter acknowledged his remarks or made an on-air apology, although the BBC issued an apology the following day. Media watchdog Ofcom received two complaints from viewers who saw the interview in the early hours of June 24.

The BBC said the US singer was probably unaware that a term commonly used 30 years ago had now passed out of “polite usage”.