MP complains over swearing

Nadine Dorries, who represents Mid Beds, says the level of swearing in the Christmas Day programme was unacceptable at a time many children would have been watching.

Although the show was broadcast at 10.30pm – well past the 9pm watershed – Dorries said many youngsters would have been allowed to stay up on that night.

And she complained that licence-payers money should not be used for ‘the production of profuse expletives’ such as Tate’s foul-mouthed Nan character.

She said: ‘Having watched endless episodes of The Vicar of Dibley, Father Ted, Blackadder, and Red Dwarf; timed my pud to coincide with the Christmas special of To the Manor Born; and been subjected to endless episodes of the perpetually screened teenage favourite Friends, I have reached a conclusion - that the funniest comedy is entirely void of bad language and overt sexual innuendo.

‘It is also obviously written by people with great intellect, who know how to knit the laughs through a script for maximum well-timed impact. Will and Grace apparently has a team of 12 such clever people.

‘After 15 minutes of Catherine Tate, I switched off. It was offensive and violated the expression “family viewing.

‘I thought of The Office Christmas Special and how Ricky Gervais mixed pathos and wit with spectacular success. Catherine Tate didn't. On what is, whether you are religious or not, a day which is special to all, her own version of the Christmas special was astoundingly inappropriate.

‘This production of profuse expletives was paid for using licence fee payer's money, and that in itself warrants the complaint. I am no Christmas scrooge, however, I feel strongly that we must shore up the parameters of what makes a decent society and this is the reason I lodged the complaint.’

Independent watchdog Ofcom will also rule on complaints from other viewers that a scene showing a Northern Irish family exchanging gifts such as balaclavas, knuckle-dusters and an apron bearing the words ‘Remember Everything, Forgive Nothing’ was bigoted.

The BBC One show received more complaints than any other over the Christmas period – with more than 100 viewers contacting the corporation’s complaints unit

In a statement released yesterday, the BBC stood by the show, saying: ‘We were very proud of the wide range of comedy on BBC One this Christmas including family shows like My Family and Robbie the Reindeer. Part of that range needs to be our post-watershed offering.

‘Old Nan is now a familiar iconic comic creation and her extreme language is fundamental to what makes her funny. The joke in this sketch is that her daughter is introduced and despite her bitter hatred of her mother, shares her worst fault of outrageous swearing and bitching behind her back.

‘We have been sensitive to the audience in terms of where it plays in the schedule and a strong language warning was given.’

Here is the Nan sketch:

Published: 5 Jan 2008