BBC 'Real Housewives of ISIS' TV sketch faces backlash

The show's creators argue the skit satirises British women who move overseas to join ISIS, rather than those already trapped by the regime. Photo / Facebook

British public broadcaster the BBC is coming under fire after a TV skit portraying the 'Real Housewives of ISIS' debuted online this week.

The skit, part of new BBC2 sketch show Revolting, imagines a Syrian outpost to the Real Housewives franchise with women who have moved over from the UK to join the Islamic State, and is littered with controversial jokes about suicide vests and beheadings.

"This is my sixth marriage - I've been widowed five times," Housewife 'Zaynab' tells the camera as a bomb blast rings out.

" ... Six times."

The Housewives show off their suicide vests in the comedy skit. Photo / Facebook

Another Housewife shows off her brand new explosive-packed suicide vest to her friends, one of whom posts a picture to Instagram:
"Hashtag OMG, hashtag Jihadi Jane, hashtag death to the West, ISIS emojis!"

"Ali bought me a new chain which is eight foot long," says another Housewife, as we see her struggling against a heavy chain attaching her to her stove.

"I can almost get outside, which is great."

The two-minute clip has been viewed more than 10 million times and shared more than 200,000 times since being posted to the BBC2 Facebook page yesterday.

While some viewers welcomed the very politically incorrect humour on show, others felt the sketch unfairly mocked women living in fear under ISIS.

In an interview with I News, the show's creators Heydon Prowse and Jolyon Rubinstein defended the skit against its critics.

"It's important not to pull your punches in satire. You have to be fearless or it undermines your credibility. You can't go after David Cameron for five years like we did and not go after Islamic State," said Prowse (the pair's previous TV show, The Revolution Will Be Televised, consisted of satirical pranks and sketches highlighting conservative greed).

"The target is online grooming," said Rubinstein.

"It's about people who are vulnerable to these kind of approaches. We've had the 'White Widow' (British-born terror suspect Samantha Lewthwaite) so this is actually happening to women here."