Ofcom rules against Channel 4 over Frankie Boyle's Katie Price joke
Channel 4 has been found to be in breach of broadcast regulations by Ofcom having aired a joke by comedian Frankie Boyle which received a complaint from former glamour model Katie Price.
Price complained about a joke by Boyle in his Channel 4 series Tramdol Nights in which the comedian made reference to her son Harvey Price.
Boyle joked that former glamour model price had married a cage fighter to ward off sexual advances from her son, who suffers from septo-optic dysplasia.
Lawyers complained on behalf of Price, claiming that the joke was ‘discriminatory, offensive, demeaning and humiliating’ against her son who suffers from septo-optic dysplasia.
Around 500 other complaints were also received about the joke.
Channel 4 defended having broadcast the joke, saying that it had a public service remit to provide ‘a broad range of high quality and diverse programming which, in particular: demonstrates innovation, experiment and creativity; appeals to the tastes and interest of a culturally diverse society; and exhibits distinctive character.’
The broadcaster also cited the ‘absurdist’ nature of the comedy as another reason that it should not have been taken as an attack on Harvey Price, but rather a satirical reference to both Price and Andre and the nature of their celebrity.
In ruling that Channel 4 had breached the broadcasting code, the response stated: “In broadcasting these comments, Channel 4 did not apply generally accepted standards so as to provide adequate protection for members of the public from this offensive material. However, in view of the careful consideration Channel 4 took in the broadcast of the series overall, Ofcom concluded that the broadcaster was clearly aware of its responsibilites under the Code and had attempted to comply with the Code‟s requirements.”
Channel 4’s chief executive David Abraham has already revealed that he had given approval for the joke to be broadcast and it is expected that Channel 4 will not apologise should Ofcom’s ruling go against it.
At the time of writing The Drum was awaiting to hear what penalty Channel 4 would face for broadcasting the joke.