The media watchdog has said it is investigating illusionist Derren Brown's latest TV show after viewers complained about a scene portraying a man restrained by a straitjacket on a railway track.Oh, damn!
And how many complaints did they receive?
Ofcom received 11 complaints about the set-up where the man made a Houdini-style escape moments before an oncoming train arrived at the spot where he was tied up.Eleven people took issue with this.
No, wait. Eleven complaints. There’s no guarantee that some - or all - of those eleven people weren’t sockpuppets.
And because they receive eleven emails/telephone calls/letters, they duly swing into action.
This is wrong, surely? Shouldn’t they have to wait until a significant percentage of viewers take offence?
The media regulator is investigating the show, broadcast on September 8 at 10pm, to see if it breached broadcasting regulations.Maybe it’s me, but isn’t that an incredibly broad description that could encompass just about anything?
It will decide whether the railway scene provided "adequate protection for members of the public from the inclusion in such services of harmful or offensive material" or whether the programme included material "which condones or glamorises violent, dangerous or seriously antisocial behaviour and is likely to encourage others to copy such behaviour".
In which case .. why hasn't the Escapologist/Sword-swallower/Fire-eater who entertains the crowds outside the Tower of London been banned ?
ReplyDeletePeople might, after all be tempted to emulate him ...
What a bunch of sad tossers .. pity they have nothing better to do ..
Ofcom exists to employ its work-force. So any number of complaints will suffice, provided only that those complaints are politically correct complaints.
ReplyDeleteOh I dunno, they banned smoking in all Pubs and restaurants because a few hundred "career anti smokers" complained about it.
ReplyDeleteLeaving to one side the obvious opportunity to insert a few puns into my response - it should be remembered that Ofcom were created to keep track of programme standards and remind us of our station in life. The sooner they and their like have an implant of common sense, instead of common purpose, the better!
ReplyDeleteHow does the X factor get away with it then?
ReplyDeleteSo much for those old silent movies then... I guess the bad guys will have to find another way to off the heroine.
ReplyDeleteI didn't see this programme, but suspect very strongly that this was filmed on a private railway and was therefore carefully staged, yes?
This is wrong, surely? Shouldn’t they have to wait until a significant percentage of viewers take offence?
ReplyDeleteYou are not STILL living under the delusion that G,B is a DEMOCRACY are you?
Follow ups would be splendid.
ReplyDelete"What a bunch of sad tossers .. pity they have nothing better to do .."
ReplyDeleteThe complainants, or the OFCOM staff?
Or...both? ;)
"I didn't see this programme, but suspect very strongly that this was filmed on a private railway and was therefore carefully staged, yes?"
Oh, I expect so. And if people want to see images of cretins dicing with death on the railways, there's always YouTube and those now-infamous Slavic/Russian vids...