Since Frankie Boyle left the BBC, he’s been sulking. He’s decided that the BBC squashed his right to free speech and, of course, freedom of speech essentially means making the most offensive jokes you can think of. A bit like a teenager chuckling over the word ‘rape’.
This has left Boyle in the unique position of being a Post Modern Jim Davidson. He doesn’t mean it maaaaan, it’s all in the name of his art, okay? His show, Tramadol Nights, has seen Muslim women being hung, jokes about mental illnesses and one that has got him in hot water with Katie Price.
Boyle made a joke about Price’s disabled son and now Ofcom will be going after him, probably leaving Boyle to see himself as some lone gunman in the West, staunchly defending something on behalf of comedy itself.
Jordan?s lawyers allege that Channel 4, who are refusing to apologise for the offensive gag, and Frankie Boyle breached the ?harm and offence? clause of the Broadcasting Code.
The joke was this:
‘Jordan and Peter Andre are still fighting each other over custody of Harvey – eventually one of them will lose and have to keep him.’
He added:
‘I have a theory about the reason Jordan married a cage fighter – she needed a man strong enough to stop Harvey from fuckin’ her…’
Blammo! A two-for-one! A rape joke AND a disability joke! If he’d got AIDS in there, it would have been the most perfect joke ever written… if of course, you’re the kind of person who likes laughing at jokes that Chubby Brown would have done if he was considered ‘alt’.
Talking to a newspaper who can piss off if they think we’re giving them any traffic, Katie said:
?’Harvey Price is a little miracle. Every day he overcomes so many difficulties with the help of family and medical experts and has so many tiny battles to win due to his medical problems and autism.
‘I love him and am deeply proud to be his mother. If Mr Boyle had a tenth of his courage and decency he would know that to suggest, let alone think funny, that Harvey may sexually attack me is vile and deeply unfair.’
‘Mr Boyle clearly has serious issues and those that give him a TV platform to say such disgusting things need to look at themselves very honestly.
‘To bully this unbelievably brave child is despicable, to broadcast it on television is to show a complete and utter lack of judegment. I have asked my lawyers to write to Channel 4 on Harvey?s behalf.’
And what do Channel 4 have to say about it all?
‘Frankie Boyle is one of the highest profile comedians in the UK; he's well known for his controversial humour and the programme carried appropriate warnings as to the nature of the material.
‘The joke aired in the context of a late night comedy show. The joke itself has been performed by Frankie as part of his stage show and, as with much of his material, is an absurdist and satirical comment on high profile individuals whose lives have been played out in the media.’
Oh, that’s alright then. Three cheers for Frankie Boyle! Defender of our right to say a disabled kid might rape his own mother!
Of course, what makes this even trickier is that Katie Price is an infuriating celebrity who makes it incredibly difficult to side with in any instance, so to be on the safe side and join in with this new found freedom to say disgusting things about famous people, we think that this whole sorry scenario can only be resolved by killing them both in a televised event.
Throw some rape in as well just so we look edgy. Don’t be disgusted! We’re just jokinglol!!!!4!!
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Tom J says
It was a pretty offensive joke but not nearly as offensive as Katie Price’s existence.
Si Sharp says
It’s offensive to her and the recourse is to make a complaint. Once you get lawyers involved, you lose my sympathy.