From: hid009@cent1.lancs.ac.uk (James Masterton)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv.uk
Subject: Complaints about TV
Date: 10 Jan 93 19:22:47 GMT
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Well another Sunday has rolled around and with it the opportunity to
watch this month's edition of 'Biteback' - the BBCs monthly show that
attempts to address viewers complaints about various TV shows and to
allow the programme makers some form of feedback.

I for one find it compulsive viewing, not for the chance to watch the
programme makers in the hotseat but to marvel at what are often quite
spurious and almost ridiculous things people find to complain about.
Take this week's show for example - almost every item covered issues
which the BBC was quite brave to attempt to tackle and about which
almost every complainant missed the point entirely:

Royal Family jokes - having Ian Hislop on to answer the complaints
about the inordinate amount of jokes made over the holdiday period
about the royal family was clearly an inspired move. The complainants
were clearly ardent royallists still believing in the divine right of
kings and hence were made to look rather stupid next to Hislop's
argument that if they act in such a disgraceful way then they can
expect to have fun poked at them. Hislop made a change by being an
individual able to tell the people how stupid they were being as he was
not a TV producer with a job to hold onto.

Sex in childrens TV - I almost fell on the floor with amazement at
people objecting to scenes of teenagers buying condoms. Surely the BBC
is actually doing the nation as a whole as a favour by intwining the
notion of sex with condoms so inextricably. If you are going to argue
that showing teenagers getting involved in sexual activities on a
childrens show will influence teenagers to do the same (the naivety of
that statement being laughable itself) then it is surely a responsible
act to force the notion of safe sex along with it which must surely be
just as appropriate as it is supposedly inappropriate to show a scene
with a couple of teenagers snogging.

Swearing - The complaint addressed was about an edition of 'Funny
Business' which dealt with taste. I would love to have seen those
people make a show which dealt with the acceptability of swearing etc in
comedy without using examples of it in the process and if they didn't
get the joke of firing naughty words to a crowd of old ladies then the
programme was really wasted on them entirely.

Finally the issue of nudity - again a wonderful bit of irony where the
objectors to the 'Open Space' programme extolling the virtues of nudity
displayed exactly the same prejudices that the programme was attempting
to challenge in the first place! Anyone who had seen the show in
question would have realised that. In fact the only thing I found
offensive was the comment from one caller at her disgust at seeing the
naked body of the plump lady who was presenting the edition of Open Space.

The point I am trying to make is this - the BBC is currently trying to
justify its existence to the licence payers and to the government. Its
best argument is the challenging and informative programmes the
complainents to 'Biteback' found most offensive. I would say it is
highly likely that those self same people would be just as offended if
the BBC restricted itself to tacky gameshows. As long as the BBC
continues to upset those who think life revolves around the Archers and
tea with the Vicar then I will happily pay my licence fee any day.

Thankyou 'Biteback' for making my evening.

-- 
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|	James Masterton		|	You don't have a lot		     |
|  hid009@cent1.lancs.ac.uk	|	But it's more than you've got        |
|				|	And you can turn it into more        |
| 'We are only here today	|	Than it seems			     |
|   because of yesterday'	|			Jim Steinman, 1989   |
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