Why crackdown is bad for comedy

Frankie Boyle says TV will become ‘dull’ as broadcasters get tougher on what comedians can say.

The comic, who recently quit Mock The Week, hit out after being censured by BBC governors for jokes about Olympic gold swimmer Rebecca Adlington.

He told the Mirror: ‘It's a question of how boring people want TV to be from now on.

‘People aren't going to be happy until you boil it down to just cooking and fucking property shows. Fucking hell, it's so fucking boring already.

‘I don't think it's even PC. I think it's just dull people who want dull TV.

‘Those jokes weren't that risqué anyway. There was no malice in them.’

In its first decision since proposing a clampdown on cruel and derogatory jokes, the BBC Trust recently ruled Boyle’s jokes about Adlington’s appearance were ‘humiliating’ and ‘offensive’.

Published: 27 Oct 2009