South Park breaks swearing record

South Park characters said the word 'shit' 162 in last night's programme - a record for US television.

The word is still surprisingly taboo on prime-time TV. A character in Chicago Hope said 'shit happens' a year ago, which is believed to be the first - and, until last night, the only time it had been used.

But South Park has done its bit to shatter that.

The cartoon even featured an on-screen counter to keep tally of the swearing - and the official Comedy Central website had even run a sweepstake on how may times the word could be shoehorned into the show.

After adverts, a half-hour episode of South Park runs at about 22 minutes - meaning an average of one 'shit' every eight seconds.

The episode featured the fictional HBC network, which used the word in a primetime show, thereby making it acceptable.

Published: 21 Jun 2001