In episode seven, series nine of the popular children’s animation, a character carrying a tray of hot drinks slips after tripping on some paper on the floor of the fire station. Several sheets fly into the air, one of which looks to be covered with Arabic script. HIT Entertainment, which produced the show, apologised “unreservedly” to viewers.
The company, which produces brands including Bob the Builder, Pingu and Thomas the Tank Engine, added that it had cut ties with the animation studio, which they blamed for the mistake.
A spokesperson said: “It has been bought to our attention that in an episode of Fireman Sam (Series 9, Episode 7), an image of the Qur’an is briefly depicted. The page was intended to show illegible text and we deeply regret this error. We sincerely apologise for any distress or offence it may have caused.
“We will no longer be working with the animation studio responsible for this mistake. In addition, we are taking immediate action to remove this episode from circulation and we are reviewing our content production procedures to ensure this never happens again. Again, we apologise unreservedly to our viewers.”
