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This next post will be written in the style of Sandi Toksvig


BBC in decency row over obscene joke by Sandi Toksvig

MPs have urged Ofcom to investigate standards at the BBC after bosses claimed that Radio 4 listeners would have taken “delight” in a joke about the most offensive word in the English language that was aired during the afternoon.
It seems Ms Toksvig has been a naughty girl on air and now all the righteous throng with too much time on their hands are up in air.
And what is this 'most offensive word in the English language' alluded to in the paragraph above? Well of course it's "Cunt".

The corporation received a complaint about the comment by the presenter Sandi Toksvig on The News Quiz but said the swear word had lost much of its “shock value” and references to it were suitable.
The executive who cleared the joke for daytime transmission said it would “delight” much of the show’s audience, adding that listeners would “love it”.
Well, to be honest, cunt is quite an offensive word. I could well understand complaints if someone said cunt before the watershed.
The thing is, she didn't say cunt. Oh no. This is what she actually said:

"The Tories put the N in cuts".

She didn't actually say the word cunt once. In fact, you would have to be very familiar with the word cunt if you were to understand that she was making reference to the word cunt in that sentence.

The BBC’s rejection of the complaint has angered MPs and campaigners, who called for greater regulation of potentially offensive content on radio.
Colin Harrow, a retired newspaper executive, complained to the BBC and the BBC Trust that the reference was offensive and unacceptable.
John Whittingdale, chairman of the Commons culture, media and sport select committee, called for Ofcom to investigate. “That word is way out in front in terms of people finding it offensive, and I think to broadcast it on radio at 6.30pm is inappropriate. Even though they did it by implication, nobody was left in any doubt about what was meant,” he said.



It wasn't a particularly funny joke, it wasn't a particularly imaginative joke and I'm sure it's been done already. This would probably have been forgotten within the hour if it weren't for the terminally offended having it bandied about the national newspapers.

[...] be aware of the risk that children might be listening, especially at such an early hour.
Always with the children. As if children don't swear. The little buggers who use the taxpayer funded playground opposite our house swear more than a pub full of Millwall fans.

And besides, what children listen to the News Quiz on Radio 4? Most children these days can't even spell radio.

Vivienne Pattison, of the Mediawatch-UK campaign group, said radio programmes, which are free of any controls, should be subject to a watershed. “This is in fact one of the only truly offensive terms we have left,” she said.
Nope. I can think of many more offensive terms than the word cunt.
Ban it. Censorship. Mediawatch UK. Member of Parliament. Vivienne Pattison. Mike Penning. European Union.

They're all a bunch of C...

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