BBC stars Greg James and Chris Smith issue grovelling ‘unreserved apology’ over Roald Dahl Twits follow-up video after ‘disgusting glass eye’ comment saw them accused of ableism and slated by charity for the blind

BBC stars Greg James and Chris Smith have apologised after sparking a backlash for telling the illustrator of their follow-up book to Roald Dahl‘s ‘The Twits’ to give a character a glass eye to make her ‘more disgusting’.

Radio 1 DJ James and his former newsreader Smith said they were ‘sorry to have caused offence’ with the launch video of their new book, The Twits Next Door.

In a promotional video for their follow-up to Dahl’s 1980 novel, James and Smith are seen helping illustrator Emily Jones put the finishing touches on the characters. It is not clear whether they are the original Twits or new protagonists.

As they discuss how to make the characters more revolting, the illustrator asks the pair: ‘What about a glass eye?’ 

James responds ‘A glass eye!’ before Smith adds: ‘She needs a glass eye. That’s it. What a disgusting pair of Twits!’ Puffin Books, which has 65,000 …