Watchdogs clear Catherine Tate

Catherine Tate has been cleared of using unacceptably strong language and racist stereotypes in her Christmas Day show.

Broadcast watchdogs Ofcom received 42 complains about the special, which went out on BBC1 at 10.30pm.

Many concerned the foul language of Tate’s aggressive Nan character, while others thought a sketch about a Northern Irish family exchanging gifts involved unfair stereotypes.

The scene involved presents such as balaclavas and a knuckle-duster – but a chocolate penis for the gay son.

In response to the complaints, the BBC said the Catherine Tate Show was ‘landmark contemporary comedy’ – and viewers would know what to expect, even though this show went out on BBC One rather than BBC Two. The corporation also said it was aware Christmas Day audiences contain a higher than usual number of children, viewing with their families.

The broadcaster also conceded that the Nan Taylor sketch contained more instances of the F-word than usual – as Nan’s daughter also joined in with the swearing – but said the actual language was no worse than usual in the regular series. Viewers were also warned before the show that it would contain strong language.

Addressing complaints that the language was unsuitable for Christmas Day, the BBC argued that it ‘does not regard any word as being more obscene on one day than on another’ and audiences did not generally expect that everything broadcast on Christmas Day should reflect its character as a religious festival.

In its ruling, published today, Ofcom sided with the BBC – saying the facts that the language was typical of other Catherine Tate shows, was broadcast late and was flagged up before the show meant viewers would not generally have been surprised by the content. ‘Any possible offence was justified by the context,’ it ruled.

Where the family from Northern Ireland was concerned, the BBC argued that, given the degree of exaggeration, the script could not reasonably have been interpreted as an attempt to stereotype any community in Northern Ireland.

It believed that the sketches ‘employed an established comedy tool of exaggerating an extreme attitude or situation - in this case sectarianism - to the point of absurdity and then undercutting it by the addition of incongruous elements’.

The corporation also argued that the family’s endorsement of their son’s homosexuality stood in absurd contrast with their less than progressive attitudes in other matters.

Watchdogs again ruled the show had not breached any broadcasting rules because the scenario was ‘absurd in the extreme’.

It ruled: ‘Comedy has a long tradition of engaging with challenging subjects and confronting taboos. In this respect, Ofcom must regulate potentially offensive material in a manner that best guarantees an appropriate level of “freedom of expression”

‘While it is appreciated that sensitivities still remain in Northern Ireland, comedy, especially satirical comedy, frequently explores the darker side of humanity. In our view, this was the effect achieved by this sequence of sketches.’

Here’s the controversial Nan sketch:

And one of the Northern Irish family:

Published: 14 Apr 2008