Sitcom has to change name of pooch named after murders

Producers of a new sitcom have been forced to rename a dog character, after a complaint that it was a reference to notorious murder cases.

The New Zealand comedy Hounds – script edited by The Office producer Ash Atalla – featured a greyhound called Lundybainwatson.

It is a reference to killers Mark Lundy and Scott Watson, who were both jailed for life for double killings, plus David Bain, who was convicted of murdering his family but acquitted after 13 years behind bars.

Bain’s lawyer, Joe Karam, complained to chiefs at the TV3 station, saying that it was in ‘extremely poor taste’ – as well as a slur on Bain’s name.

He told the New Zealand Herald: ‘It was not simply just a complaint in terms of the guilty association it put on David Bain's name, but I thought the whole idea was in bad taste in general.

‘It was wrong to include David between the names of two people who were convicted of extremely bad offences. But it was also offensive to the next of kin and families involved in all three cases to have this brought up as though it is something funny.’

Executives at TV3 agreed and told producers they must over-dub the lines before the show goes out in a fortnight.

A spokesman said: ‘Comedy pushes the boundaries, but we are not in the business of offending people.’

Published: 15 May 2012