[Red Moon]

I'm A Celebrity: Ant and Dec in swearing row

The presenters – family favourites famed for their squeaky-clean image – swore repeatedly while hosting ITV1’s I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!

By turning the air blue, ITV’S biggest stars have risked the wrath of ITV supremo Michael Grade, who has called for a crackdown on swearing.

The Geordie duo were presenting the show from Australia on Monday night when their obscene exchange was triggered by model Nicola McLean being shown eating a kangaroo testicle.

The outburst was just 28 minutes after the 9pm watershed and just a fortnight after the Mirror launched its cam-paign to crack down on TV

swearing.

TV watchdog Ofcom confirmed yesterday: “We have received complaints about the programme broadcast on Monday. These are being assessed against our Broadcasting Code.”

Yet Ant and Dec’s boss, ITV director of channels Peter Fincham, defended the comment after Mr Grade’s call for swearing on TV to be “editorially justified and in context”.

He said: “I was watching it and I was not offended. With these things, it is about context and context is everything. I thought that was in context.”

Mr Fincham added that he agreed in general with Mr Grade’s earlier statement and welcomed the Mirror’s campaign to clamp down on unnecessary filth.

He went on: “Michael made a good point and actually said something that needed to be said.

“I said that to him at the time and, judging from the public reaction, he was right to say it as well.

“It is an area that needs to be looked at very carefully.

“But the watershed is not some iron gate which closes down and I think it is different for different channels.”

ITV executive chairman Mr Grade, who was yesterday unavailable for comment, has called for a crackdown on swearing after the watershed because the use of offensive words had become “indiscriminate”.

Mr Grade’s call followed the Manuelgate row in which Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross left lewd messages on actor Andrew Sachs’ answerphone.

Last night, Ant and Dec offered no comment on the row they have caused.

Director-general Mark Thompson yesterday said it was right to take note of the public outcry of the amount of bad language on the box.

His comments came as MPs stepped up pressure on broadcasters to clean up the airwaves in the wake of our campaign.

Labour's Rosemary McKenna said there was deep public concern about “swearing, taste and bad language” on telly.

All three main political parties have backed the Daily Mirror's campaign to cut swearing on television.

Senior Labour MP Denis MacShane last week said TV had been turned into a “sewer” of bad language.

Source: Daily Mirror

[arista]

It was after 9PM
No Problem.


New Labour can get Stuffed.

[Jackie]

They didn't use the "F" word so what's the problem.

[~Kizwiz~]

They do seem a little bit more racey this year but its after 9pm so I dont see a problem

[big_brother_mad]

I didn't even hear them swearing!

[bronaaaa]

Originally posted by big_brother_mad
I didn't even hear them swearing!

Neither did I..