Newspapers have much fun in reporting the great Virgin Media TV menu B***** U*
What fun and games and obvious relish in the opportunity for an asterisks overdose the newspaper headline writers have been experiencing with the torrid tale about Virgin Media’s …”overly-efficient obscenity checker”.
This was The Independent’s headline: ‘V***** Media says sorry for TV menu cock-up’
In its story, the Indie reported: “It came as no surprise to Spurs supporters that A***nal is a swear word.
“But Virgin Media has apologised after an overly-efficient obscenity checker protected viewers from the most harmless programmes.
“Customers searching their on-screen menus were given heavily asterisked warnings of the filth apparently on offer. Sunday's Match of the Day 2 would prominently feature highlights of A***nal.
“The BBC's The Bleak Old Shop Of Stuff was blacklisted for being an adventure in the style of Charles D***ens and narrow- boat enthusiasts were advised of the depravity lurking in the gentle BBC 4 documentary, The Golden Age of C**als.”
The Guardian’s headline whizz-kid chipped in with: ‘WTF? EPG takes offence to Alfred Hitchc**k and Charles D***ens’.
And the paper reported that Virgin Media's electronic programme guide also listed …’BBC Radio 6 Music's Jarvis C**ker‘.
The Guardian naughtily added: “We can only imagine what happened would have happened to Scunthorpe had they also featured on the broadcaster's EPG over the weekend.”
A Virgin Media spokesperson has made clear just what happened, via a marvellously word-economic, informative and humorous official media statement, which read: "Over the weekend a temporarily over-zealous profanity checker took offence at certain programme titles.
“The altered titles have been swiftly an*lysed and we're fixing any remaining glitches."