U.K. Regulator Probing Rowan Atkinson Sketch on BBC

[rug]

Portraying an archbishop, the "Mr. Bean" star compared boy band One Direction to Jesus' disciples and said praying "doesn't work."

1:32 AM PDT 4/23/2013
by Georg Szalai

LONDON -- U.K. broadcast regulator Ofcom is investigating a Rowan Atkinson sketch aired on the BBC after more than 2,200 viewer complaints.

The sketch was part of last month's annual Comic Relief special that raises money for poor and disadvantaged people across the U.K. and Africa.

Atkinson, best known for his "Mr. Bean" character, portrayed a fictional version of the Archbishop of Canterbury in the sketch. He compared boy band One Direction to Jesus' disciples and said praying "doesn't work." The character also told audiences that Jesus said love your neighbors, but that "doesn't mean shag your neighbors."

The regulator said it is probing the show, but didn't disclose further details. It is believed to be probing the sketch for offensive language and religious offense, the Guardian reported.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/rowan-atkinson-sketch-bbc-probed-444437

[TygrBright]

1. Well played, Mr. Atkinson! n/t

[MADem]

2. Good grief--have the complainers never heard the expression

"Take it from whence it comes?"

I can imagine the shitfits that Fr. Guido Sarducci would engender, if that's all it takes to get the Beeb wrapped around the axle.

The guy is a comedian. Most comedy will offend someone, if it's any good.

They're pushing themselves into irrelevance with this silly "investigation." Put the damn "offensive language" warning at the start, and leave it at that.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. The BBC isn't investigating - it's Ofcom, the equivalant of the FCC

though the BBC has pulled it from the web, and apologised - which doesn't seem warranted either, to me. I don't think one use of 'shag' at about 7:45pm goes too far; I suspect they're complaining because he was billed as the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Such Things Aren't Done.

[MADem]

5. I find it to be a major tempest in a teapot.

I really think we should send Guido over to chat with them--he'd show them his shag carpet and his lava lamp and give them "bloody hell" (oh...the horror!!!).....

They don't have any problem sending up the Queen or the PM --why should this public figure be off limits?

Get a load of this, from BBC:

Talk about "boundaries of taste!"

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. I agree it's a tempest in a teapot

One difference between the 2, which will be taken into account, is the transmission time. British TV has the concept of a 'watershed' - before 9pm, when the content is meant to be more suitable for children, and after. Mock The Week is after, and so can get away with a lot more. The Comic Relief sketch was broadcast about 7:45pm - and since it's a charity telethon, there could be a lot of people saying "I was watching it with my young child" - eg http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/a1709094-to-have-expected-comic-relief-to-be-watchable-for-my-5-year-old-before-8pm (apparently there was a 'vajazzle' in there too - I can't check now, because the BBC has blocked the YouTube clip in the OP in the UK).

I am surprised it got that many complaints (and I suspect Ofcom may be 'investigating' just because of the number of complaints), and I hope they'll just say "the language wasn't that bad, there was very little, and it was in comedy".

FWIW, Frankie Boyle, whose material was taken out before transmission according to the link in the OP, is the guy in glasses in your clip. He always pushes the boundaries of the acceptable - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Boyle . Apparently he said in his routine he wished the Queen had died.

[MADem]

7. On the one hand, they want donations. On the other hand, they don't want

to provide entertainment that could be construed as "offensive." It's not little kids who are writing those cheques, so I'd say they need to cut their cloth according to the measure!

I'd also say parents need to teach their kids that some people use naughty words, and leave it at that. If the example is set at home, there's not much to worry about, really.

I know that most little kids, seeing a guy lecturing while seated in a chair, will tune out completely. They just won't get the "funny" and will focus on something else. The ones that do get it, IMO, are old enough!

You have to wonder how the Beeb could stand a lot of those ancient Disney cartoons, that had running, and sometimes hilarious, "double entendre" narratives to keep the parents amused while the kids laughed at the images and hijinks on the screen!

I wonder if these complaints were coordinated by a cadre of humorless scolds, via twitter or some other social network. It's real easy to rile the prudes these days--they can complain with very little work involved!

Gee, ya can't have ANY fun anymore...!

[Bluenorthwest]

3. Rowan Atkinson as the Devil 'A Warm Welcome to Hell'

[onager]

8. Jebus! Did they ever see "Blackadder Xmas Carol?"

Baldrick: Well, I was a bit rushed. I've been helping out with the workhouse nativity play.

Ebenezer: Oh, of course! How did it go?

Baldrick: Well, not very well -- at the last moment, the baby playing Jesus died!

Ebenezer: Oh, dear! This high infant-mortality rate is a real devil when it comes to staging quality children's theatre. What did you do?

Baldrick: Got another Jesus.

Ebenezer: Thank goodness! And his name?

Baldrick: `Spot'. There weren't any more children, so we had to settle for a dog instead.

Ebenezer: Oh, dear. I'm not convinced that Christianity would have established its firm grip over the hearts and minds of mankind if all Jesus had ever said was "Woof."

Baldrick: Well, it went all right until the shepherds came on. See, we hadn't been able to get any real sheep, so we had to stick some wool...

Ebenezer: ...on some other dogs.

Baldrick: Yeah... and the moment Jesus got a whiff of them, he's away! While the angel's singing "Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Mankind," Jesus scampers across and tries to get one of the sheep to give him a piggyback ride!

Ebenezer: Scarcely appropriate behaviour for the son of God, Mr Baldrick. Weren't the children upset?

Baldrick: Nah, they loved it. They want us to do another one at Easter -- they want to see us nail up the dog.

NOTE: the last 2 lines were deleted on the official DVD release. But they were on the earlier VHS tape version. Weird.

And later, with Hugh Laurie playing the Prince:

Edmund: ...So, shall I begin the Christmas story?

Prince: Absolutely. As long as it's not that terribly depressing one about the chap who gets born on Christmas Day, shoots his mouth off about everything under the sun, and then comes a cropper with a couple of rum-coves on top of a hill in Johnny Arab-land.

Edmund: You mean JESUS, Sir...

Prince: Yes, that's the fellow. Keep him out of it -- he always spoils the X-mas atmos.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. Rowan Atkinson Comic Relief sketch cleared by Ofcom

A Comic Relief sketch starring Rowan Atkinson as a fictional Archbishop of Canterbury has been found not in breach of broadcasting codes, Ofcom has ruled.

The sketch, shown pre-watershed, featured Atkinson comparing boy band One Direction to Jesus's disciples. He also claimed prayer "doesn't work".

An Ofcom spokesman said the regulator cleared the sketch "after careful consideration".
...
"This included that Comic Relief is widely known for featuring irreverent and often absurd comedy sketches; the intention of the sketch was to create humour rather than seriously deride Christianity; and that the BBC took immediate action on the night of the broadcast, including issuing an apology for the tone of the sketch, removing it from BBC iPlayer and withdrawing a follow-up sketch due for broadcast later in the evening."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23125495

[okasha]

10. Glad to see attempts at censorship failed.

Even though that implies that ideas, do, indirectly have rights.