An awful lot, it seems. The dear old (WHISPER MODE ON) c-word (WHISPER MODE OFF), seemingly the last barrier of taboo left for swearing on TV, has been cropping up an awful lot in the last few days.
On the 7th August 2006, Five’s transmission of Britain’s Fattest Teenager contained several uses of the c-word in unedited, unbleeped form, approximately 12 minutes after the start of the watershed. Ofcom received three complaints on the issue, but yesterday ruled that Five was not in breach of any codes of conduct. This was due to the nature of the documentary and the usage of the word to highlight the levels of abuse suffered by the subject of the documentary. However, Ofcom’s official response also noted…
“Ofcom did not consider there was a breach of the Code. However it should be noted that only in exceptional cases will it be acceptable to broadcast the word “c—-” close to the watershed.”
This of course, brings into play the incremental nature of the watershed. It could be argued that, as at 9pm, everything is fair game – if the kiddie winkies are still up come 9, then it’s your own look out if they hear something they shouldn’t. However, that would be just be silly, and indeed, Ofcom’s official guidelines on the subject state:
“1.6 The transition to more adult material must not be unduly abrupt at the watershed or after the time when children are particularly likely to be listening. For television, the strongest material should appear later in the schedule.”
Which seems fair enough.
But what about in the case of a forthcoming episode of Shameless, which features Frank Gallagher uttering the most offensive of swearwords? The legendary Alison Graham of the Radio Times certainly isn’t impressed, writing in her column in the new issue:
“In Frank’s case, it’s used by a man who doesn’t have the verbal tools with which to express himself. Fair enough. But I think using the c-word still crosses the line, even in such times as ours, which are – and thank goodness for it – more liberal and accommodating than at probably any other time in history. Because the c-word isn’t merely a swearword; it’s a hate-filled, women-hating insult packing an awful lot of raw power.”
going on to finish:
“We should all make sure it’s never made acceptable by television.”
While I agree to an extent – a society without taboo is ultimately going to end up in a dangerous place. If the final barrier of what’s acceptable to utter on our television screens is destroyed, then where is there to go?
However, for a character like Frank Gallagher, his use of the word does not seem out of place, and this is where context has to come into play. Considering what else goes on in the average episode of Shameless, a foul-mouthed utterance, even to this offensive extreme seems quite innocent in comparison, especially coming from the potty mouth of Frank.
Considering the c-word is considered so offensive, it’s getting an awful lot of coverage at the moment, and anybody confused over their feelings for this black sheep of offensive terms, don’t worry, help is at hand. BBC3 is set to air a documentary, produced by indie production house, North One, tentatively titled The History of the C-Word.
The documentary will cover the origins and evolution of the phrase in a manner that, according to producers, will not be “sensationalist or po-faced”. Contributors will include Germaine Greer, who has previously put the word under the microscope for Balderdash and Piffle.
But let’s spare a thought for Chris Tarrant who has, according to the print edition of today’s The Independent, turned down an offer to narrate the programme, which appears to have been retitled We Love the C-Word! In the absence of Chris, perhaps Frank Gallagher might be a better choice. He doesn’t have an image to think of…
