BBC Defends Asking Andrew Scott About Barry Keoghan Nude 'Saltburn' Scene

The BBC is largely defending an interview with Andrew Scott at the BAFTAs that's been slammed as homophobic ... over a question about a Barry Keoghan nude scene.

In a statement Friday, the BBC says it's received complaints from folks who didn't like the way entertainment correspondent Colin Paterson asked Andrew about Barry stripping down at the end of "Saltburn."

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Colin's been dragged online for asking Andrew, who is gay and was at the BAFTAs promoting another movie, about Barry's penis ... but the BBC says Colin's questions were "meant to be a light hearted reflection of the discussion around the scene and was not intended to cause offense."

The BBC says Colin began the interview by asking Andrew about his movie, "All of Us Strangers," before moving on to ask him about the popularity of his fellow Irish actors, like Barry.

Andrew was clearly uncomfortable with questions about Barry's nude scene, but Colin kept pressing and asked, "There was a lot of talk about prosthetics ... how well do you know him?" The BBC says this specific question was "misjudged."

Still, the BBC says there was reason behind asking Andrew about Barry getting naked in "Saltburn" ... the network says the film had a cultural impact and the nude scene grabbed a lot of attention, which Barry himself addressed.

The BBC also says Colin asked similar questions to "Saltburn" writer and director Emerald Fennell, plus singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, whose song "Murder On The Dancefloor" plays during the nude scene.

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Colin, the BBC says, addressed the issue later in the BAFTA broadcast, admitting his "questioning may have gone too far and that he was sorry if this was the case."