Let’s get this straight – Rebecca Adlington, bless ‘er, DOES look like someone looking in the back of a spoon.
Since the insanity of the Sachsgate row and the intervening Frankie Boyle and Jimmy Carr “joke” controversies, the BBC have been keen to extract all possible offence from any jokes.
This policy is extremely dangerous. British TV comedy is already severely weakened by bad writing and a lack of new ideas – killing the comedy panel game show and standup routines isn’t going to help anyone.
Today’s Independent carries an interesting analysis of the whole situation – but doesn’t really get to the bottom of it, short of pointing out that the lovely Ms Adlington would be more upset about losing a race than someone poking fun at her streamlined facial appearance, something that must come in very handy for her as a swimmer.
Frankie Boyle didn’t go up to Rebecca Adlington and make that comment to her face. He said it on a fast-paced comedy show filmed in front of a live audience, a show that serves each of the standups involved in Mock the Week an opportunity to be seen on TV and hopefully get a few more bums on seats at the Hammersmith Odeon.
So why did she take offence? More to the point, why did she feel the had the ability to make a fuss? Jimmy Carr meanwhile made this one liner:
‘Say what you like about servicemen amputees from Iraq and Afghanistan, but we’re going to have a fucking good paralympic team in 2012.’
That’s quite amusing, but also in very bad taste. If I was offended by this, who do I go to? Do the police want to hear about it? I doubt it.
Perhaps Miss Adlington will lend me her agent? Hardly.
The papers might care as it’s a story that is selling copies, but really, who gives a damn?
If I’m offended by comedy, I turn it off. I might rant on here about it, but on the whole I’ll avoid it.
And as for Ms Adlington – no one is going to take you medal off you just because you’re not conventionally attractive. Deal with it.
If you’re offended, think about why you’re offended – and then get over it. The world isn’t going to implode.