TV watchdog rejects complaint

Ireland's TV watchdogs have cleared Tommy Tiernan over a stand-up routine dubbed 'offensive and disrespectful'.

A Christian viewer complained that a joke included in his Crooked Man show had 'upset and insulted her beliefs' and had breached broadcasting rules.

In the show, which aired on TV3 in December, the comic had joked about Jesus coming out of the desert during his 40-day fast muttering: 'Mother of fuck', and asking for a beer.

The viewer contacted regulators at BAI protesting that stories contained in the Bible 'should not be treated in this way'.

Watchdogs rejected the complaint, not on the grounds that religion was fair game but on the fact that Tiernan was mocking Irish attitudes to drink.

They ruled: 'The humour was not aimed at the figure of Jesus, but rather at the attitudes of Irish people to alcohol.

'While the forum would acknowledge that humour can often walk a tightrope and can sometimes offend, it was of the view that in this context, the item would not… cause undue offence but was instead an exaggerated comparison used for comic effect.'

Broadcaster TV3 said 'Tiernan is a comedian and this was clearly a joke, the material was not harmful or offensive' – but nonetheless 'apologised for the upset it caused'.

It added: 'Audience expectation for a Tommy Tiernan show would be that the material would be of an adult nature and probably to some, unrefined and crude.'

Here's the routine:

Published: 26 Jun 2015