Currently the bookies’ favourites for the main debates on The TV Show on Saturday 2 February (they won’t be certain until just before) are:
1. With in the best possible taste: That Bremner, Bird and Fortune’s Madeleine McCann sketch (from October) gets the all clear from Ofcom. What’s your opinion of comedy shows today - where should the line be drawn between good laugh and bad taste? 2. Supersize vs Superskinny: do you consider this type of show educational viewing or voyeuristic freak show?
There’s more information on what's coming up in Saturday's programme on the The TV Show website.
Make your comment there or find out how to take part in the show here.
See BBC story on Bremner, Bird and Fortune Ofcom ruling here.
There are jokes made about the Titanic, 9/11, the war, terrorism. People are getting too soft even about subjects be they about individuals, races, nationalities, women/men. How long before comedy is banned outright because it might offend -someone-?
The Ofcom adjudication that cleared Bremner, Bird and Fortune, contains the following transcript of the sketch mentioning Madeleine McCann (from back in October):
“In this programme, two men in a pub, played by John Bird and John Fortune, were discussing the recent confusion over whether Gordon Brown was going to call a snap election. During the course of the discussion, the conversation turned to the kinds of tactics the Prime Minister might use in order to secure his re-election as Prime Minister. At this point, one of the characters said:
“…talk about spin…I don’t trust Gordon Brown…if we had had an election he would have got up to any kind of tricks that he could…I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if the night before the election he went on television and said ‘look what I found…’ and held up little Maddie McCann”.
Ofcom received 63 complaints that this remark was inappropriate and/or offensive.
The adjudication concludes:
“On balance, therefore, whilst perhaps painful for some viewers to have been reminded of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, we concluded that the suggestion that politicians might consider cynically using such an event to their advantage justified the inclusion of such a reference in this satirical sketch.”
In the light of this decision The TV Show asks: What’s your opinion of comedy shows today - where should the line be drawn between good laugh and bad taste?
In the light of this decision The TV Show asks: What’s your opinion of comedy shows today - where should the line be drawn between good laugh and bad taste?
I find all our News Stations good comedy value, and mostly in poor taste, bad reporting, skillfully edited, over exposed.
The coverage of the Mcann's misfortune is just ONE example, if I were to drag up other examples Id be here all day; so dont ask me please.
See BBC story on Bremner, Bird and Fortune Ofcom ruling
quote:
“…talk about spin…I don’t trust Gordon Brown…if we had had an election he would have got up to any kind of tricks that he could…I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if the night before the election he went on television and said ‘look what I found…’ and held up little Maddie McCann”.
Originally posted by The TV Show: “In this programme, two men in a pub, played by John Bird and John Fortune, were discussing the recent confusion over whether Gordon Brown was going to call a snap election. During the course of the discussion, the conversation turned to the kinds of tactics the Prime Minister might use in order to secure his re-election as Prime Minister. At this point, one of the characters said:
“…talk about spin…I don’t trust Gordon Brown…if we had had an election he would have got up to any kind of tricks that he could…I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if the night before the election he went on television and said ‘look what I found…’ and held up little Maddie McCann”.
Ofcom received 63 complaints that this remark was inappropriate and/or offensive.
The adjudication concludes:
“On balance, therefore, whilst perhaps painful for some viewers to have been reminded of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, we concluded that the suggestion that politicians might consider cynically using such an event to their advantage justified the inclusion of such a reference in this satirical sketch.”
In the light of this decision The TV Show asks: What’s your opinion of comedy shows today - where should the line be drawn between good laugh and bad taste?
Even if it were a catherine tate type sketch poking fun at the parents say whilst being interviewed, i would not want to see it. If i laughed and the chances are that i would as B,B and B are really good and a few weeks later the body of Madeline was found i would feel guilty. Wait for an outcome of the case first. There are many other issues politicians use to cover real issues. Maybe Brown could have a vaccination he secretly injects dogs and children to turn them into killers.
From the transcript of the sketch supplied, it is obvious to ANY person that the people being lampooned were the Labour Party, and in particular, Gordon Brown. These people are fair game.
The unfortunate Madeleine McCann. nor her parents, are being disrespected in any way. The only person likely to be offended would be Dandini!!
Or how about Brown in the pub talking with his home office ministers, and he spots a couple of muslims. He could say, 'add them to the terrorist list'. The minister could reply that they have already been added...twice. Brown could then say that it didn't matter, the public are too stupid to realise the exaggerated numbers and that they have to reach their target of 5000.
Read some of the threads, you'll have plenty of material.
Originally posted by Sheik Yahbouti: From the transcript of the sketch supplied, it is obvious to ANY person that the people being lampooned were the Labour Party, and in particular, Gordon Brown. These people are fair game.
The unfortunate Madeleine McCann. nor her parents, are being disrespected in any way. The only person likely to be offended would be Dandini!!
If i were a relative of the McCanns, and don't get me wrong i don't defend them, seeing that body that Brown would be carrying in his arms would be upsetting. Use the parents for ridicule, but not any image of the child.
There is no science to this it depends on who you are talking about. For example O.J. Simpson has been lambasted relentlessly about his wife’s murder and yet he was proven innocent in court. The public generally think OJ was guilty so it is ok to lambaste him even though he is officially innocent and the public think generally that the McCann’s are innocent so it is not ok to lambaste them even though they are official suspects. Work that one out.
The thoughts of Chairman Al.
If a man takes no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand.
Originally posted by Sheik Yahbouti: From the transcript of the sketch supplied, it is obvious to ANY person that the people being lampooned were the Labour Party, and in particular, Gordon Brown. These people are fair game.
The unfortunate Madeleine McCann. nor her parents, are being disrespected in any way. The only person likely to be offended would be Dandini!!
If i were a relative of the McCanns, and don't get me wrong i don't defend them, seeing that body that Brown would be carrying in his arms would be upsetting. Use the parents for ridicule, but not any image of the child.
It is obvious from the transcript which has been set out above that NO IMAGE of whatever nature is involved. The two men are simply speaking in a pub and one simply says that it would not surprise him if Gordon Brown said.....etc., etc., Where is any image spoken about?
“On balance, therefore, whilst perhaps painful for some viewers to have been reminded of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, we concluded that the suggestion that comedians might consider cynically using such an event to their advantage justified the inclusion of such a reference in this satirical sketch.”
I mean, they do the same thing they are satirically exposing, don't they?
Originally posted by Sheik Yahbouti: From the transcript of the sketch supplied, it is obvious to ANY person that the people being lampooned were the Labour Party, and in particular, Gordon Brown. These people are fair game.
The unfortunate Madeleine McCann. nor her parents, are being disrespected in any way. The only person likely to be offended would be Dandini!!
If i were a relative of the McCanns, and don't get me wrong i don't defend them, seeing that body that Brown would be carrying in his arms would be upsetting. Use the parents for ridicule, but not any image of the child.
It is obvious from the transcript which has been set out above that NO IMAGE of whatever nature is involved. The two men are simply speaking in a pub and one simply says that it would not surprise him if Gordon Brown said.....etc., etc., Where is any image spoken about?
Okay. I didn't read it properly, and my imagination conjured up the image. Which it did agian just reading the transcript. Maybe watching the sketch and the moving onto the next lines would not allow people like me to conjur up any image, but reading it is different.
See BBC story on Bremner, Bird and Fortune Ofcom ruling
quote:
“…talk about spin…I don’t trust Gordon Brown…if we had had an election he would have got up to any kind of tricks that he could…I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if the night before the election he went on television and said ‘look what I found…’ and held up little Maddie McCann”.
Unnecessarily tasteless.
Absolutely agree. The point of satire is to mock and ridicule the powerful, with apt observations. Not to make gratuitious, trite criticisms so the viewer actually feels empathy with the politician.
Hopefully someone will satirise boring, complacent comedians who go for cheap laughs instead of writing good satire.
Bremner is an unfunny satirist who lacks imagination and just preaches to the converted.
Originally posted by Sheik Yahbouti: From the transcript of the sketch supplied, it is obvious to ANY person that the people being lampooned were the Labour Party, and in particular, Gordon Brown. These people are fair game.
The unfortunate Madeleine McCann. nor her parents, are being disrespected in any way. The only person likely to be offended would be Dandini!!
Not really lampooning.
New Labour = spin. That image is long-established and is a very lazy observation.
Gordon Brown is leader of the party of Spin - another obvious observation.
Therefore, it follows that Gordon Brown would exploit the disappearance of Madeline McCann!
But Gordon Brown (unlike Tony Blair, arguably) doesn't have a reputation as an amoral master of manipulative spin. Almost the opposite. So the point is not convincing or valid satire.
The observation that a lazy satirist would exploit the disappearance of a child to gain cheap laughs, is a valid one, of course.
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I didn't read it properly, and my imagination conjured up the image. Which it did agian just reading the transcript. 
