Just pathetic! Atkinson's Archbishop sketch for Comic Relief is blasted by his brother By Alasdair Glennie, Eleanor Harding and Laura Cox Rodney Atkinson, pictured at home in Stocksfield, Northumberland, has criticised his famous brother, comedian Rowan Atkinson, for poking fun at the Archbishop of Canterbury in last week's Comic Relief sketch Rowan Atkinson's parody of the Archbishop of Canterbury in a foul-mouthed Comic Relief sketch left the BBC embroiled in controversy. But the fiercest criticism was delivered yesterday ... by the comedian's brother. Economic commentator Rodney Atkinson attacked his sibling's performance on the BBC's pre-watershed Comic Relief programme last Friday, branding the six-minute sketch 'appalling' and its language 'crude and pathetic' and potentially 'insulting to Christians as a whole'. Rowan's 64-year-old older brother also accused the BBC of pressurising viewers into donating money to Comic Relief. He told the Daily Mail: 'I disagree with whipping up hysteria through the mass media when it's easy for people who are young and soft-hearted to use credit cards to give more than they can afford. And the people urging them to give are rather rich themselves. The BBC has apologised for the sketch, in which Mr Atkinson dressed as Church of England leader Justin Welby to give a mock fireside homily. The 58-year-old exhorted viewers not to 's*** your neighbour' and to 'give us your bloomin' wonga'. BBC executives were criticised for airing the offensive skit more than an hour before the 9pm watershed. They had already been forced to axe a Comic Relief routine by Scots comedian Frankie Boyle after he said he wished the Queen was dead. The BBC received 2,300 complaints about the Atkinson sketch, and broadcasting regulator Ofcom was sent 438. Rodney Atkinson joined the fray yesterday, saying: 'My main problem was the smuttiness . . . The use of the word s*** was crude and rather pathetic. The performance could be seen as insulting to Christians as a whole . . . I was appalled by it. He added: 'I'm sure [Rowan] will be mortified at the public's response, because he certainly has supported the Church of England. He's even donated to his local church.' Mr Atkinson said he has not spoken to his brother about the show. It is thought they do not have a close relationship. Here is an extract from the Comic Relief routine delivered by Atkinson in the guise of Welby (right) When I was a young man, and I stress a heterosexual young man with quite a few girlfriends, though no tongues, obviously, teenagers beware, charity was much less fun than it is now. . . However, behind the fun, or a**ing around as I like to call it - God doesn't mind swearing you know - behind the fun there is a more serious message . . . Jesus said love your neighbour and let's be perfectly clear, because there's a lot of misunderstanding about this, it doesn't mean s*** your neighbour. He hates that, he absolutely hates that . . . What you're actually watching is Christianity in action and that's my message. If you love the Lord please donate tonight and if you love the dark lord you've been reading too many Harry Potter books . . . Anyway I hope I'll be able to talk to you more often like this, but for now, from all of us at the good old CofE, have a wonderful night, keep on giving, keep on laughing, keep on praying. It doesn't work but it's a good part of getting to sleep if you've got insomnia . . . But no, seriously, the primary purpose of Red Nose Day, or the Blue Peter appeal as it was called in my day, is to raise money, or wonga as we like to call it in the Church - a little bit hipper you see. And I completely forgot to say: Give us your blooming wonga. Rodney, of Stocksfield, Northumberland, is a staunch Eurosceptic who stood unsuccessfully as an MP and MEP for the Referendum Party and for UKIP. He also published a book, Europe's Full Circle, alleging the European Union was founded by former Nazis and fascists. Although he was brought up as an Anglican, Rowan has fallen out with the Church of England on several occasions. One of his most famous roles was that of bumbling vicar Father Gerald in 1994 film Four Weddings and a Funeral. The comedian opposed the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 because he felt it amounted to censorship of the arts. In 2011, he attracted the ire of some Christians when he said many clerics were 'people of such extraordinary smugness'.