Nigel Farage has been accused of making a “non-apology” by a school contemporary who accused him of racist and antisemitic behaviour, after saying he was “sorry” if he had “genuinely” hurt anyone.

For the first time since the row broke after a Guardian investigation, the Reform UK party leader appeared to indicate some remorse for the impact of his alleged behaviour while at Dulwich college, a private school in south London.

“I think there are two people who said they were hurt, and if they genuinely were, then that’s a pity, and I’m sorry,” Farage said in an interview with the BBC. “But never, ever did I intend to hurt anybody. Never have.”

The comments were made in an interview with the presenter Laura Kuenssberg for a documentary about the rise of his party, which is leading in the opinion polls. In a series of stories in recent months, the Guardian has reported the testimonies of 34 school contemporaries who say they witnessed or were subject to Farage’s alleged racist or antisemitic behaviour.

Five of those said they were personally subject to abuse.

Among the alleged victims was the Emmy and Bafta-winning film-maker Peter Ettedgui, who alleged that Farage would regularly taunt him with antisemitic comments, including that “Hitler was right”.

In response to Farage’s latest comments, Ettedgui said the Reform leader needed to explain why his initial response had been to outright deny the detailed claims of a large cohort of people. He said: “Thirty-four people have given our first-hand accounts of Nigel Farage’s abusive behaviour at Dulwich college, including students who either suffered or witnessed it, as well as teachers.

“Every single one of us vividly recalls Farage’s racist, xenophobic and antisemitic bullying, as well as his vocal admiration for fascist leaders from Hitler to Mosley.

“This profoundly offensive conduct continued unabated throughout his teenage years until we left school at 18, and it went far beyond what was considered normal or acceptable – even in the 1970s.

“Farage’s ‘non-apology’ today at least differs from previous lamentable attempts to excuse his racist insults as ‘banter’, or to smear those of us who have spoken up as liars or fantasists.”

Ettedgui said “urgent questions” remained given that Farage was seeking to be prime minister. He said: “Why has he continually denied the repugnant behaviour so many of his schoolmates recall, rather than acknowledging and apologising sincerely for it?”

Ettedgui also questioned to “what extent has his political agenda today been shaped by the racist views he expressed so vociferously at Dulwich?”

Farage had initially threatened legal action against the Guardian and denied any racist or antisemitic conduct. He later suggested that his behaviour would have been seen as “banter” four decades ago but might be seen differently today.

In his interview with Kuenssberg, Farage maintained that his behaviour would not have been out of place in 1970s Britain.

He said: “I tell you what, if teenage boys together at an all-boys school haven’t said things to each other, haven’t been brutal in some ways in the late 1970s, I’d be very, very surprised.

“Also I’ve had lots and lots of supportive texts, including from two Jewish students in my A-level set. There were all sorts of things going on amongst teenage kids in a boys’ environment. Was there ever anything intentional or with the intent to wound or hurt? Genuinely? No, absolutely not.”