BBC Gets Tough On Swearing And Intimidation
Following the mess that the BBC got itself into over failures in editorial policy (most notably the Andrew Sachs/Ross/Brand affair), the subject of excessive bad language and bad behaviour (on both pre- and post-watershed TV) has reared its head again.
Personally I think the swearing pendulum has swung too far in some areas of TV output, but I think this has mainly been in chat shows and reality shows (Ramsey and BB being obvious culprits). To be fair though, some TV comedy panel shows can be almost as guilty.
TV comedy is always going to have sweary programmes, but I fear it's an area that will be hit disproportionately if the crackdown goes ahead. I don't think that swearing = laughs by any means, but I fear that editorial decisions made on the grounds of "taste and decency" could affect what comedy makes it to screen. Not just the actual words themselves, but the tone and plots of shows.
My opinion is that (as when I was a kid) parents should regulate what their kids watch more closely and decide what is appropriate. I can see technologies such as the BBC iPlayer make this more difficult however.
Any thoughts? 
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