197 complaints over Hell's Kitchen

Almost 200 viewers complained that the comic made bullying comments, largely directed at fellow contestant Brian Dowling, referring to ‘shirt-lifters’ and ‘poofs’.

But watchdogs Ofcom have today ruled that even thought he language might be considered offensive, ITV1 was right to broadcast it with the aim of showing Davidson as he really is.

The watchdog said: ‘It would be a disproportionate limitation on freedom of expression to require that the contestants on Hell’s Kitchen could only express views that met generally accepted standards.

‘Therefore, even if viewers felt that certain behaviour was offensive, this did not mean that ITV was not able to broadcast it in context.’

The decision echoes ITV’s response to the complaints. The broadcaster said that as a reality show it was necessary for Hell’s Kitchen to ‘reflect fairly and accurately what was unfolding in the kitchen’.

ITV – which flagged up the potentially offensive language at the start of the show – also successfully argued that Jim Davidson’s behaviour was ‘forcefully challenged’ on air by Dowling, fellow contestants and in Angus Deayton’s commentary. The broadcaster said it was made clear it was not generally considered acceptable to use terms such as ‘shirt-lifter’ or to make an issue of a person’s sexuality.

Davidson was eventually asked to leave the show and apologise for overstepping the mark during his disagreement with the former Big Brother winner.

In addition to the 197 who complained about Davidson, Ofcom also received a further 31 complaints about Marco Pierre White’s term ‘pikey’s picnic’, which the watchdog agreed was offensive, but was again justified within the context of a reality show.

Published: 14 Jan 2008