At the hecklerspray bedsit, we?d like to think that after pressing F5 on our Google news feed, we can quickly bring you a breaking news story with a couple of ropey jokes lobbed in. When key issues break, modern technology allows us to now gain an insight in to how famous folk feel about protests, deaths or scandal.
During the arse end of 2010, Frankie Boyle divided opinion with comments broadcast on his show Tramadol Nights. We won't repost the remarks made due to the unneeded offence involved with the supposed gags, but feedback wasn?t positive for Channel 4.
So how did they brush off the criticism? Easy, simply label Frankie Boyle as ?edgy and dark? and reminding people of material on former stand up shows and appearances on Mock The Week. Love him or loathe him, Boyle will remain on the circuit for years to come. At the time of the incident, comedy peers threw in their opinion and several years after the event, Paul O?Grady has offered his.
First off, we must remind people that Paul O?Grady doesn't have a comedy background that an angel would be proud of. Profanity laden, the Scouse comedian has turned the air blue many-a-time, but has stopped short of pushing the boundaries of offence unlike Frankie Boyle. Unless hairy legs in cheap tights count.
However, O?Grady has calmed down his act considerably and gained a legion of housewives when he fronted Channel 4?s 5pm weekday slot.
It does beg the question these days about what you can and can't say. Of course the basis of most jokes revolve around taking the piss out of someone or something. Most of the worlds repeated jokes for example revolve someone?s hair colour, accent or simple stereotyping.
However these so called light remarks are being overshadowed by the grey area about mocking someone about sexuality and ethnicity. Mediums like text, Facebook and Twitter are used to rapidly repost seemingly offensive material and making them more accessible to an audience such as children.
Frankie Boyle would probably admit he isn't going to be invited on to CBBC for an informal chat on building a house out of sand. You know what you get with him, but that doesn't really condone some of the stuff coming out of his mouth. As we've harped on, people have been mocked for certain aspects including their appearance for years, but what about stuff they can't help?
Medical conditions for example have been the hot topic with Boyle who has graced audiences with material about AIDS, down syndrome and cancer. As you'd expect, people complained in droves about these sorts of remarks. And the response from a Channel 4 executive?
“In the context of a late-night comedy show” and was an “absurdist and satirical comment on high-profile individuals whose lives have been played out in the media”.
Basically that gives the green light for us to go on a fun mission writing jokes about the homeless and people dying of hunger, all because we've seen it on TV, otherwise known as the media.
And as Paul O?Grady tells some news paper that it isn't as amusing when the issue is as close to home:
“When you’ve nursed somebody with cancer and looked after people with AIDS you don’t find jokes about them funny. I’ve looked after Down’s syndrome kids, too, and there are some things you don’t mock.”
You can always argue it depends on the persons comedy threshold or how much newspapers want to vilify the individual concerned, so we?ll leave it here you stupid motherfuckers.
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Pieter says
I think Doug Stanhope sums it up the best: http://bit.ly/emghGD
EssBen says
Till now I’ve been a big fan of both Frankie Boyle and the NHS wonder opioid Tramadol, however I was very disappointed by the lack of material associated with it throughout the entire series, PCP while very nice is just not the same (more of a dissociative than a narcotic, though the latter term is often used inaccurately to describe any restricted substance), it’s a fucking disgrace!
What was the question again?
Si Sharp says
That’s a wonderful link- bang on the money!
Samantha Barrow says
I Totally Agree With Paul O’ Grady I Love You Lots!!!! :-D