The freedom to swear

You can understand why comedy people have jumped so readily into the world of podcasting over the last few years. The sheer freedom to say and do whatever you want can take newcomers by surprise: you'll often hear new guests on an interview-based pod suddenly checking themselves after a verbal slip-up. "Sorry... oh hang on, can I... I can swear on one of these, can't I?" And, yep, usually you can. There might be a quick warning at the top of the show, but generally speaking, anything goes.

Language is a lot less strict in broadcasting nowadays too, of course, and it's a subject that cropped up on one of the best current podcasts a couple of years ago. Simon Pegg was a guest on Adam Buxton's pod, and they got chatting about whether they could show their old TV series - The Adam and Joe Show (Buxton), Spaced (Pegg), and Big Train (which Pegg was a big part of and Buxton wrote for) - to their kids.

Back then, 20 years ago, the swear rules were a lot stricter, and apparently worked to a sort of points system. As Pegg recalled, on one particular show they were required to trade three uses of the 's' word for one 'f.' Which presumably led to much head-scratching and negotiating.

The internet is one of the reasons that language has loosened up in recent years. Everything is a bit more laid-back on the world wide web. Even a serious topic such as gambling is a bit more chilled out online. For example, if you're looking for the newest options in casinos, rather than having to talk to a suited-and-booted doorman in real life, you can just pop on to the website aussielowdepositcasino.com for a list. Although, we have admittedly picked an extreme example there. Australians are often typified in British comedy as being relaxed individuals. They do have a funny way with words... they call slot machines pokies, for example.

Anyway, TV and radio comedy and drama needs to keep up with real life, and there's no point pretending that people aren't effing and blinding all over social media. Of course, back in the nineties the ominous spectre of Mary Whitehouse still loomed large, and her campaign for family values. Any high-profile smut or swearing on TV, Whitehouse would quickly be contacted for a comment. She must have weighed on producers' and controllers' minds, whenever a controversial script hit the desk.

Ironically, that name is now probably best remembered by most comedy fans because of The Mary Whitehouse Experience, the radio-turned-TV show that introduced us to the gleefully rude David Baddiel, among others. It makes you wonder how many people must assume that it was just a made-up name, like the eponymous non-star of Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Speaking of Python, one area where swearing and other near-the-knuckle subjects have perennially caused much back-and-forth is in movies, as the creators and censors negotiate over a film's eventual rating. Sometimes it leads to a whole extra realm of comedy.

One of the finest letters ever sent is the one from Python's producer Mark Forstater to 'Mike' (presumably Palin), explaining which bits the censor suggested should be cut from Monty Python And The Holy Grail, in order to give it a more accessible 'A' rating.

In the letter, Forstater suggests a compromise, losing several swears and blasphemous bits in order "to retain 'fart in your general direction,'" and a few other choice nuggets. It wouldn't be the same without them.