An episode of Fireman Sam in which a character appeared to tread on a page from the Koran has been removed from Channel 5’s streaming site following accusations of Islamophobia.
In one episode of the popular children’s animation, firefighter Elvis Cridlington is carrying a tray of hot drinks and slips after tripping on some paper on the floor of the fire station.
Several sheets fly into the air, one of which is a page from the Muslim holy book.
HIT Entertainment, which produced the show, apologised “unreservedly” to viewers.
The company, which produces brands include Bob the Builder, Pingu and Thomas the Tank Engine, said it had cut ties with the animation studio involved, which it blamed for the mistake.
A spokeswoman said: “It has been bought to our attention that in an episode of Fireman Sam (Series 9, Episode 7), an image of the Koran 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.”
A group called Documenting Oppression Against Muslims (DOAM) tweeted: “Shocking – #Islamophobia in children’s programme #FiremanSam. Video shows character is made to step on the Qur’an.”
DOAM also posted an earlier scene from the episode where what appears to be the same piece of paper makes another fleeting appearance in the background.
It is not clear that the piece of paper stepped on is the page from the Koran.
Miqdaad Versi, from the Muslim Council of Britain, tweeted: “Have no idea what went through the producers’ minds when they thought this was a good idea #baffled.”
The programme first aired in 2014 and was available to watch online at any time on the My 5 video on demand service.
It was last shown by the broadcaster on Milkshake, its children’s breakfast show, on 28 June.
On Tuesday the episode was pulled from Channel 5’s online streaming platform and the broadcaster said it had no plans to show it on TV.