Last week, Tabard was pleased to note that The Vicar of Dibley got off with a playful slap on the wrists from Ofcom, after a series of complaints from viewers accusing the programme’s Christmas special of denigrating Christianity.
After the drawn out Jerry Springer - the Opera fiasco, which interestingly also saw the show being cleared of accusations of breaking broadcasting rules, it is good to see yet another attempt to stifle comedy’s freedom to offend defeated - and let’s be honest, The Vicar of Dibley is hardly Derek and Clive.
Ofcom, while admitting that the BBC’s decision to screen on Christmas day was regrettable, also rather astutely pointed out that “people were not laughing at the tenets of belief but at the characters’ false interpretation of such elements”.
Mmm. False interpretation of the tenets of belief. I think Ofcom might have been on to something there.
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