The BBC is toughening its stance on bad language with a new clampdown which means channel controllers must approve any use of the strongest swearwords.

Proposed new editorial guidelines were announced yesterday by the BBC Trust governing issues such as impartiality, accuracy, harm and offence, and said use of the most controversial words must be “justified”. The BBC is also giving licence fee-payers a say on programme standards for the first time, launching a public consultation on the revised guidelines. It follows increased concerns about standards in the wake of “Sachsgate”.

The draft document includes rules surrounding the strongest language. They say any proposed use of such words should be referred to – and approved – by the relevant station controller “who should consider the editorial justification”.

The BBC has been tightening up “compliance” procedures following the calls made by Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand to Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs last year.

The Trust said that research had found that: “People accept that strong language can be appropriate within a programme but dislike it when used unnecessarily or excessively.