TV satirists escape Madeleine McCann censure

Channel 4's satirical comedy series Bremner, Bird and Fortune has managed to avoid censorship from Ofcom after the TV watchdog rejected complaints made by viewers about what was seen as an offensive joke about Madeleine McCann.

The joke in question featured John Bird and John Fortune as two men in a pub discussing the possible snap tactics that Gordon Brown might have used if he had called an early election in late 2007. Fortune's character says in the sketch: "I wouldn't be surprised if the night before the election he went on television and said, 'Look what I've found', and held up little Maddie McCann."

When the sketch was broadcast last October, 63 people complained about the joke. However, Ofcom said that it was acceptable because the target of the joke was politicians and not about Madeleine McCann herself. In a statement, Ofcom said: "The main point of the sketch was to ridicule politicians and the sometimes cynical approach they are perceived to have when it comes to seeking re-election. The idea that politicians might be insensitive enough to attempt to exploit the tragedy surrounding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann to their advantage was consistent with the general purpose of the sketch."

The statement continued: "There was no suggestion that the target of the humour was Madeleine McCann, her family, or those people deeply affected by the disappearance. On balance, therefore, whilst perhaps painful for some viewers to have been reminded of Madeleine McCann's disappearance, we concluded that the suggestion that politicians might consider cynically using such an event to their advantage justified the inclusion of such a reference in this satirical sketch."