Acclaimed animated series The Simpsons and Morrissey have clashed over a recently portrayal of the singer in an episode entitled Panic on the Streets of Springfield. The episode featured an overweight, meat-eating singer called Quilloughby who fronted a band called The Snuffs. Panic on the Streets of Springfield echoes the line "Panic on the streets on London" from the hit Smiths single Panic.

After the episode aired a statement on Morrissey's Facebook page attacked the show for choosing "to capitalize on cheap controversy and expounding on vicious rumors...When a show stoops so low to use harshly hateful tactics like showing the Morrissey character with his belly hanging out of his shirt (when he has never looked like that at any point in his career) makes you wonder who the real hurtful, racist group is here."

It transpired that the post was not written by Morrissey himself but by his manager Peter Katsis. The post had gone on criticise The Simpsons over white actor Hank Azaria voicing Asian character Apu – something that has since been apologised for.

Quilloughby is voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch.

Picture: Fox