Ofcom: How Rude

The watchdog found that television viewers and radio listeners were more likely to tolerate swearing if it reflected 'real world' situations. Of the swear words deemed 'milder', the study found they were 'generally of little concern' if used to express strong emotion or as a light-hearted insult.

The Ofcom report said: 'Many of these were thought to be in common use, including in front of children, and therefore mostly acceptable before the watershed.'

Derogatory language used to describe older people, including 'coffin dodger' and 'old bag', was deemed mild and 'not considered problematic by most'. Other words such as ginger or gay were only considered a problem if they were used as a derogatory term.

Viewers were less tolerant of swear words linked to body parts, or of religious insults or racist or homophobic language. The religious terms were included because of their use as expletives, not because of their use in a religious context...

Daily Mail.

Ofcom media release - and their hilarious list of offensive words and gestures from arse to whore.

We get our own list...

Biggins: Ofcom

Ofcom are duty bound to "investigate" anything some people complain about, even if it's only 20.

This is sort of meaningless really.

Ofcom: No

Express.

TV WATCHDOG Ofcom has recently received a number of complaints about same-sex kisses on Channel 5's Big Brother and ITV's Coronation Street, but the organisation has announced that the investigation will go no further...

There's 70 million people in this country, some antedeluvian idiot somewhere will get annoyed about anything.

There's probably someone complaining to Ofcom right now about cows on TV or something.

Owen Jones Watch: Hic

Bit pissed, dear?

Winston McKenzie: Watershed

Despite more than 400 complaints about homophobic comments on the programme, Ofcom will not investigate Celebrity Big Brother.

Winston McKenzie, a former UKIP candidate, entered the CBB house early this month, and was shown in his entry video making a ‘joke’ about gay people.

“I could cope with a homosexual in the house. I guess I’ll just have to stand with my back against a brick wall all the time,” he said...

In a statement, the watchdog said: “We are satisfied that Channel 5 broadcast clear and appropriate warnings about the potentially offensive content, and intervened in heated exchanges and situations at appropriate times.

“We have also taken into account the audience’s expectations of this well-established reality format, and that the series is aired after the watershed.” ...

Pink News.

What a terrible blow for all the big gay cry babies who can't handle reality in reality TV.

Some people don't like poofs - get over it!

London Spy: Sun Story Not Reliable Shock

Ofcom says it is yet to launch an investigation – and has received just ONE complaint.
 

Scan from PN.

The Sun and Daily Mail have falsely reported that London Spy is to be investigated says the broadcasting watchdog...
 
Claims that the BBC received thirteen complaints have been rubbished by Ofcom.

The broadcasting watchdog contacted PinkNews to reveal they are yet to launch an investigation – after receiving just a single complaint.

"We’ve received one complaint about London Spy on BBC Two. We will assess this complaint before deciding whether to investigate or not,” an Ofcom spokesman told PinkNews.

Ofcom also clarified that their rules do not discriminate between scenes involving opposite sex and same sex couples...

A Pink News EXCLUSIVE!

Well done Pink News, who, when a tabloid invents an OUTRAGE! after a few people out of millions who watched a programme contacted Ofcom or took to Twitter to complain about some gayers being on TV, usually obediently and unquestioningly repeat such errant nonsense! *

Truly this is an historic day for gay journalism.

PS That's a lovely picture of our Ben, isn't it? Like something by Caravaggio...

Update: The online version of The Sun story has now been 'updated'.

* Type 'Ofcom' into PN's search engine to see these zingers - or on Gay Star News'.

Update: An eagle-eyed viewer has pointed out Pink News did originally just regurgitate the Sun's nonsense story unchallenged as per!

LOL! etc. xxx

EastEnders: Funeral Games

An EastEnders sex scene involving secret gay couple Ben Mitchell and Paul Coker will not be investigated further by Ofcom, despite a huge uproar on social media.

The watchdog received 76 complaints after the episode was aired a few weeks ago.

In the scene, the characters, played by Harry Reid and Jonny Labey, kissed next to an open coffin and were later seen getting dressed.

Ofcom said it assessed the complaints but 'concluded they didn't raise issues warranting further investigation'.

Its decision continued: 'We found the scenes were justified in the context of a long-running plotline and sexual contact between the characters was implied rather than overt.

'Our rules don't discriminate between scenes involving opposite-sex and same-sex couples.' 

Twitter was awash with shocked comments from viewers criticising the storyline, branding it 'disgraceful and distasteful'.

'Having sex in a room with a dead body, oh #eastenders', one social media user wrote, while another posted, 'Well. Wasn't expecting to watch #Eastenders tonight and see a dead body in a coffin.. Thanks for that #horrible'.

A third fan raged, 'Catching up on #Eastenders - Did I really just see 2 blokes making out in a room with a dead woman laying in a coffin? #BBC do need saving!'

A BBC spokesman hit back at the claims at the time, saying: 'The millions of regular EastEnders fans who tune in each week know and expect dramatic storylines.

'We are always mindful of out time slot in which we are shown and the scenes in question were implied and not explicit.'

In the same episode Ben was arrested on suspicion of killing Lucy Beale in a dramatic police showdown.

Earlier in the evening, the sexually-confused teen, forgetting all about his girlfriend Abi Branning, was seen stripping off with hairdresser Paul in the heat of the moment in front of Mrs Birch's unwitting corpse.

Their romp was interrupted by Paul's grandparents listening at the door to see if he was still styling the body's hair.

'Best knock first. I wouldn't want to put him off his stroke,' Les Coker declared. 'I think he must be finishing off.' 

Daily Mail.

MEGALOLZ!

Mail readers were divided.

Said tinytum; 'soaps are supposed to reflect real life,,,who do you know who has done this,,,,i no longer watch any of them, its all drugs,,sex,,gay ness..etc,,,,sorry but most people do not live like that,,,,,,,,we have lost our way'

But adamb commented; 'Really? People got offended at this? What sad lives they must lead.'

PS All pictures as used by Mail Online.

Celebrity Big Brother: Complaints

There were 2,736 complaints in total about the Channel 5 show, including 715 about Perez Hilton's "sexualised behaviour" and 480 about his "threatening behaviour".

The media watchdog also received 262 about "racially offensive language" after Ken Morley repeatedly used the n-word.

A spokesman said: "Ofcom carefully assessed a number of complaints about this series of Celebrity Big Brother and has decided they do not raise issues warranting further investigation under our rules.

"We were satisfied Channel 5 had broadcast clear and appropriate warnings about the potentially offensive content, and that it intervened in heated exchanges. We also took into account audience expectations and the fact that the series was broadcast after the watershed." ...

Daily Express.

Dear Ofcom,

CBB is shit and Perez Hilton is a twat.

yours

Fagburn.

Doctor Who: Lizard

DM Reporter on the Daily Mail's take on the Doctor Who 'lesbian kiss' that technically wasn't a kiss or lesbian or controversial.

Ofcom received twice as many complaints - a massive 13 - about Great British Bake Off's baked alaska Bingate 'scandal'.

PS Richard Littlejohn is his usual clueless self in his Daily Mail column on Tuesday - illustrated with the incredibly witty and clever cartoon below.

Doctor Who in homophobia row over lesbian lizard kiss. There’s a headline you don’t expect to read every day.

Gay rights campaigners [Eh?] are bouncing up and down with indignation after the BBC removed a scene in which a lesbian lizard woman called Madame Vastra is seen snogging her on-screen ‘wife’.

They were anxious to avoid offending Muslim viewers in the Far East. In Singapore, for instance, programmes ‘promoting’ same-sex relationships are banned. I wonder if the BBC would have scrapped the scene for fear of offending devout Christians in Sittingbourne...

Shouldn’t have thought so for a minute. Offending opponents of gay marriage is probably why they included the scene in the first place.

What puzzles me is why the producers would want to peddle a lesbian storyline in a series aimed primarily at children [Eh?].

Still, there does seem to be a statutory clause at the BBC which demands gay themes in all drama output. For the record, I couldn’t care less. But what does making the lizard lady a lesbian actually add to the show?

I’ve always thought the Doctor was asexual, not that I’ve watched Dr Who since he was played by Patrick Troughton.

No doubt they’re planning to ‘out’ him as a Friend of Dorothy in the next series, the one in which the Daleks turn their talents to soft furnishing and the Cybermen are all revealed to be closet Judy Garland fans.

Doctor Who: One In A Million

Several complaints have been made to the TV watchdog Ofcom over the gay kiss on Doctor Who.

The British science fiction drama came under fire after Madame Vastra and her wife Jenny locked lips in front of 7 million viewers in the UK.

Angry viewers decided to write to Ofcom as they felt the kiss was ‘inappropriate’ to have on before 9pm, the watershed in the UK. The watchdog received six complaints...

Gay Star News.

How many times!!?

If over seven million people watched the programme, then only six people complaining is statistically insignificant.

It's actually less than one in a million.

Given those odds, a monkey could have dialled Ofcom by mistake.

Probably.

Further, some people will be offended and complain about anything.

Just take a look at Twitter, it won't take a minute to find someone who's OUTRAGED and DISGUSTED by any gaiety on TV, or, say, the sandwich they just bought for lunch.

Only a provincial pearl-clutching prissy panic-mongerer would think this non-story is newsworthy.

But that's Gay Star News for you - it's like a gay Daily Mail written by naff 12 year-olds.

Update: Ofcom responds; We don't give a fuck about this either. 

'Having assessed the complaints, we can confirm that they do not raise issues warranting further investigation.

'Our rules do not discriminate between scenes featuring opposite sex and same sex couples.'

Update 2: Compare this OUTRAGE to the 600 people complained to the BBC about that baked alaska thing on Great British Bake Off!

TV Watershed: 50 Glorious Years

The TV watershed, which continues to be a vital tool in protecting young TV viewers, is 50 years old this month.

In July 1964, Parliament passed the law that led to measures to protect children from seeing harmful or offensive material on TV in the evenings.

Fifty years on, new Ofcom research shows that most adult TV viewers are aware of the 9pm watershed as a valued way of indicating what is suitable for young viewers.

Today, more TV viewers believe the watershed is at about the right time (78% in 2013 compared to 70% in 2008), Ofcom’s report on UK audience attitudes to broadcast media shows...

In the past five years, there have been falls in the number of viewers saying there is ‘too much’ violence (35% of adult viewers in 2013, down from 55% in 2008), sex (26% in 2013 versus 35% in 2008) and swearing (35% in 2013 versus 53% in 2008) on TV...

Latest Ofcom report.

Illustrated with the image above, showing the tidal wave of TV filth that led to the introduction of the watershed:.

1. Dixon Of Dock Green's 'E Just Fell Down The Stairs On The Way To The Cells, Sarge, Honest episode [Category: violence].

2. Steptoe & Son, a 1963 episode caused much controversy after Albert said, 'Bleeding hell, dad! You've only gone and burnt my prawn cocktails again!' twice [Category: swearing].

3. The Sapphic Life and Loves of Ena Sharples, mini-series [Category: just general sex filth, and the descecration of a much-loved British institution].

Britain's Got Talent: 16 BGT Fans Can't Be Wrong

Viewers have contacted TV watchdog Ofcom to sound off about controversial issues during last week’s live semi finals.

Co-host Declan Donnelly, 38, is accused of making antigay comments to camp French dancers-in-heels Yanis Marshall, Arnaud and Mehdi.

He asked them: “What do your wives and girlfriends make of this routine?”

...

There were also complaints that drag queen La Voix, 33, was an “inappropriate act” before the 9pm watershed.

Ofcom received a total of 34 complaints about the live semi-finals and will “assess” them.

Daily Star.

Over 7 million people watch Britain's Got Talent.

34 is a whopping 0.0005% of viewers.

Should we care - or even be surprised - if a statistically insignificant number of them complain?

Some people will be offended by anything.

Maybe I should contact Ofcom and say I don't like Simon Cowell's face?

Unless you're an idiot, “What do your wives and girlfriends make of this routine?” isn't homophobic. 

If anything people should be complaining that Declan was recycling and revising a legendary 20 year-old gag aimed at Dale Winton on The Mrs Merton Show.

And Dec used the exact same line in the last series about 'camp' dance troupe The Glambassadors!

Ofcom's latest Weekly Broadcast Report doesn't specify what people complained about, so Fagburn wondered if the above was pure speculation on the Star's part.

They told me...

The Star was correct, we took 16 complaints of offence/alleged homophobic tone in Dec's question to gay dance group, “Yanis Marshall, Arnaud & Mehdi”, "What do your wives and girlfriends think of this?"'

The humourless gaybores strike again!

Thank buggery there's only 16 of them.

PS Also...

· 3 complaints about inappropriate acts before the watershed / for a child audience (e.g. drag queens, male dancers in stilettoes, skimpy clothing);
· 2 complaints about bad language by judges (“crap” and “bloody hell”);
· 1 complaint about inclusion of non-British performers.

The Star's 34 figure is for both the semi-finals that weekend - 23 were for the YM&M one. 0.0002% of viewers complained about Dec's joke. Hope that clears that up.

Coronation Street: Won't Somebody Please Think Of The Children!

But defiant Corrie producers shrugged off the storm and vowed to continue the plot-line. 

They even have plans to ramp up the ­romance between Todd ­Grimshaw and Marcus Dent. 

An insider said: “The vast majority of the ­audience have no trouble with this. It’s real.” 

Around 100 viewers complained to Ofcom with many furious that the love scene was ­aired before 8pm when children are watching. The explosive moment showed Todd (Bruno Langley, 30) lock lips with Marcus (Charlie Condou, 41) ­after chasing him for weeks.

After the full-on snog, the pair were shown heading semi-naked to the bedroom. It is part of an ongoing plot on the soap which has seen gay ex-City worker Todd ­return to the Street after two years and make a no-holds barred attempt to bag Marcus, who has been dating Maria Connor (Samia Ghadie, 31). 

Most of the complainants say the gay kiss should not have been shown so early in the evening because it was too “sexually suggestive”, while others claim it had no place being ­broadcast at all. 
Some viewers also took to Twitter to express their outrage. 

Brooke Kelly said: “Todd and ­Marcus was a bit full on for 8 o’clock on a Friday evening.” 

Hayley Edwards added: “Feel so awkward watching Corrie with my nan when Marcus and Todd are almost shagging.”

Daily Star.

The Star claim Ofcom have confirmed they received complaints - though Fagburn suspects the 'over 100 viewers' figure is a fiction. 

Whatever, some people will be outraged by and complain about anything.

I bet Ofcom get complaints from Christian Voice whenever Dale Winton presents The National Lottery's In It To Win It. 

Similarly, Twitter has over 15million UK users, you can almost certainly find someone who's tweeted their OUTRAGE! about anything.

Fagburn's just seen someone complaining about the coffee with their hotel breakfast. 

It was DISGUSTING!!!

Evander Holyfield: Comes Out Fighting

FORMER boxing champion Evander Holyfield has issued a public apology for likening homosexuality to a physical handicap while on Celebrity Big Brother.

The four-times heavyweight world title holder was the first housemate evicted from the Channel 5 show on Friday.

During his week in the Big Brother house with stars including Lionel Blair, Jim Davidson and Linda Nolan, he caused outrage and got a verbal warning from the show’s producers after saying being gay “ain’t normal” and can be “fixed”.

In his first newspaper interview since leaving the show, Holyfield, 51, told the Sunday Express: “I do owe an apology for what I said, but in that situation I felt I was talking to one person and I was telling that one person my view.

“I had completely forgotten about the cameras. I wanted to express how I felt about it, it was not that I was trying to push my views on to people, it was saying this is how I was raised, it wasn’t to the whole world. So I am going to make a public apology about that because I am sorry for anybody that I offended.”

The American boxer had been chatting with The Apprentice runner-up Luisa Zissman about the lack of openly gay sports stars when he made his comments. He was evicted when housemates Lee Ryan and Casey Batchelor had to choose between him and Zissman, after they came last in a public vote.

Holyfield, who had also admitted he once punched a horse...

Sunday Express.

That's right, he once punched a horse!

Update: Ofcom don't seem to be taking the complaints very seriously.

CBB Outrage: Pearl-Clutching Bedwetting Gay Idiots On The Rampage Again!

Oh FFS!

Get. A. Life!

CBB Idiot Scandal: Latest!

Boy George has slammed Celebrity Big Brother housemate Evander Holyfield for claiming being gay "ain't normal".

The openly gay Culture Club star, 52, hit out on Twitter after the former undisputed heavyweight world boxing champion likened homosexuality to a handicap in a conversation with fellow CBB contestant Luisa Zissman.

Boy George, whose real name is George O'Dowd, tweeted: "Shame, I had such admiration for Mr Evander Holyfield, he seemed dignified and I was sure he was a cool, smart, giant!"

The Karma Chameleon hitmaker, himself a former amateur boxer, later wrote: "I think anyone visiting this country for any reason should be cautioned and forced to swear allegiance to 'Queens & country!!," before adding: "At customs there should be a huge sign!

"Welcome to Britain, racism, sexism, homophobia and bad hair are not tolerated!"

Shame, I had such admiration for Mr Evander Holyfield, he seemed dignified and I was sure he was a cool, smart, giant!
— Boy George (@BoyGeorge) January 5, 2014

Daily Mirror.

A far more sober reflection on this silly God-bothering fool than you-know-who's.

This is all positively gripping, isn't it?

From CBB's official media partner, Daily Star.

It's not a crime to think stupid things about The Gays.

How is it 'Reality TV' if we don't get to hear what real people really think?

Some people are still homophobic - can we get over it, please?

Update: Some people have actually complained to Ofcom about this! Oh my silly hair!!!

Sex On TV: More People Up For It

Ofcom’s annual survey of consumer attitudes towards broadcasting charts the changing public opinion towards media issues.
The latest survey also shows that the proportion of adults saying there is ‘too much’ sex, violence or swearing on TV has fallen by about a third since 2005.
In 2011, one in four (25%) adults felt there was ‘too much’ sex on TV, and just over one in three felt there was ‘too much’ violence (36%) and swearing (37%). This compares to 36% of adults saying there was too ‘too much’ sex on TV in 2005, with 56% for violence and 55% for swearing. 
Last year, 19% of adults said they had been offended by something they had seen on TV in the past twelve months. In 2005, 32% said they had ever been offended by something on TV.

Ofcom. 

This not very revealing survey prompts Mark Lawson to ponder why people seem less offended, even though there is more sexual content on TV.
"Much of the outrage of [Mary] Whitehouse and her attendant press was based on the idea that television arrived uninvited in people's houses and so was under obligation to behave well. Through a combination of "health warnings" (as they are known in broadcasting jargon) and targeted networks and time-slots, it is now much harder to claim to have "stumbled on" something you find unsavoury."
Yeah, whatever!

Ofcom: Fine With Alan Carr, Gok Wan Oral Sex Act

"COMIC Alan Carr's riotous New Year's Eve show will NOT be investigated by Ofcom.

"Fifty-seven viewers complained to the media regulator about the Channel 4 special, which featured full-frontal nudity and swearing.

"During Alan Carr's New Year Specstacular, fashion expert Gok Wan told Carr to "f***" off" and joked that he would not perform oral sex on the comic. Celeb chef Heston Blumenthal spoke about a strap-on sex toy, a nude picture of rapper Dappy was screened and Jonathan Ross commented on the N-Dubz star's manhood.

"But Ofcom said the show had met "generally accepted standards" for a show aired after the 9pm watershed..."

From The Sun.
Sounds a hoot.
This isn't on Ofcom's site yet - will post a link when it appears.

BBC: Praise Be!

The BBC World Service recently broadcast a documentary about America's Marin Foundation; God and Gays: Bridging the Gulf
In a puff piece on the BBC's website 'Why Conservative Christians Flock To A Chicago Gay Bar' they explained "[Andrew Marin]
works to try to bring Christians and gay people together in open conversation about sexuality and spirituality - and that includes running a large-scale meeting four times a year at Roscoe's, one of America's most famous gay bars."
The BBC make them seem like saints;
"The Marin Foundation believes that polite, honest conversation between people of all perspectives is essential if Christians are to address questions about sexuality more effectively..."
Bless.
If only that was all they were doing.
Mr Marin is actually trying to recruit the gays to his bizarre Christian death cult.
It gets worse.
Michael Signorile has repeatedly exposed Marin as a loopy homophobe who thinks being gay is a sin and secretly wants us all to pray the gay away and go straight.
Well done the BBC - another winner!

This just in!
Ofcom has cleared Newsnight over its handling of David Starkey's insane racist outburst in August.
It's a good day for mad old bigots.
(Media Guardian).

Mike Stock: Pop As Pornography

"Pop music in this country is almost completely dominated by American acts who have taken sexualised imagery, dance moves and lyrical content way beyond the limits of decency.
"As far as music is concerned, it has been a slow but unmistakable descent into pornography. Why? Because it's easy. Put some sexualised dancing and scantily-clad females in the video, and get it on the box. Job done..."
"Bring back pop music for young people, expose it on television and drive all this sexually explicit trash back to the stone age where it belongs."

80s has-been Mike Stock wades into the debate du jour with an open letter to Ofcom.
Hardly surprising - Mr Stock (of him, Aitken & Waterman fame) kickstarted this silly "debate" last August with this bizarre outburst;
"These days you can't watch modern stars - like Britney Spears or Lady Gaga - with a two-year-old.
"Ninety-nine per cent of the charts is R 'n' B and 99 per cent of that is soft pornography."
At the risk of repeating myself, here's what I wrote at the time explaining why Mike "Sam Fox" Stock is a hypocrite, a wanker, a fucktard and a total and utter bell-end.
The Mirror's report has just gone online and is but of course illustrated with a photo of Rihanna's crotch and two of Lady Gaga in a see-through dress.
Fagburn's favourite line?
"Stock singled out Nicole Scherzinger's performance on Britain's Got Talent (watch it in the video player below)..."
Please accept their sincerest hypocrisy.
Fuck off Mirror!
Fuck off Mike!

• Purely by happenchance Mike Stock's The Go! Go! Go! Show - "The show 4 kids" - opens at London's Garrick Theatre next month. It sounds like an absolute pile of shit.