A controversial joke about throwing battery acid made by British comedian Jo Brand "went beyond what was appropriate", the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has said.

Ms Brand made the comment on a Radio 4 comedy show in June.

Referring to British politicians who had milkshakes thrown at them, she said: "I'm thinking, why bother with a milkshake when you could get some battery acid?"

The BBC had earlier dismissed complaints that the remark amounted to incitement.

But its Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) disagreed because "it has considered the context in which the words were spoken".

It found: "Whilst the ECU recognised that the wider message from this episode is an argument for more civility in political discourse, not less, and Ms Brand's contribution is not intended to be taken as face value, the ECU felt that it went beyond what was appropriate for the show.

File photo dated of the BBC logo in London | Image: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire/PA Images

"So it was partially upheld against generally accepted standards of BBC output.

"The ECU also noted that in the right context and with the right treatment, there is no subject matter which should be beyond the scope of comedy."

Following the complaints unit's ruling, a BBC spokesperson said: "We note the findings and that the BBC's ECU concluded the comments did not condone violence and that no subject matter should be beyond the scope of comedy."

The British media regulator Ofcom only considers complaints about BBC programmes if they have been through the BBC complaints process first.

On Thursday, Ofcom said it received 444 complaints about Ms Brand's joke.