Fear of offence is stifling TV comedy
...says David Mitchell
David Mitchell say making TV comedy has become much more difficult – as executives live in constant fear of offending anybody.He said the furore over Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand’s ‘Manuelgate’ phone calls have made broadcasting bosses over-sensitive, especially to bad language.
In an interview with The Sun, he said: ‘TV is harder to make at the moment and it feels like there is a lot of pressure from upstairs. I hope it blows over.
‘It's harder to swear now. It gets scrutinised.
‘On the other hand, if you're writing a line and you think it's not funny unless you swear, then it's probably not funny enough in the first place.’
"There are millions of people for whom the F-word is really offensive, and I don't agree with them - I think it's nonsense. But I do think their offence is sincere.’
Published: 22 Jun 2009
