Matt Lucas plays Dafydd, "the only gay in the village", in Little Britain

BBC Three's The Real Little Britain featured a man compared to Dafydd, "the only gay in the village", who named a male school teacher as his first crush.

The teacher complained, saying it infringed his privacy and created an uneasy atmosphere with current pupils.

The BBC said the naming was justified, but Ofcom upheld the complaint.

Exploring the sexual awakenings of a former pupil... was not reason enough to reveal personal information Ofcom

The Real Little Britain, broadcast in October, found members of the public who were said to be like the sketch show's famous characters.

But it "could have potentially serious implications" for the teacher's position, Ofcom ruled.

"Revealing his name and occupation did infringe [his] privacy in the absence of any overriding public interest justification and this infringement was unwarranted," the regulator said.

"In Ofcom's view, exploring the sexual awakenings of a former pupil while at school was not, in this case, reason enough to reveal personal information about Mr X."

Occupational hazard

The teacher was known as Mr X in the ruling. The BBC said "no harm was intended or done" by naming him in the show.

The corporation argued it was an occupational hazard for teachers that pupils may have "crushes on them regardless of either the pupils' or teachers' gender or sexual orientation".

"There was no suggestion that Mr X was aware of the 'crush', nor was there any suggestion, implication, or indication, that he acknowledged Stuart's feelings towards him," the BBC said.