[Arneldo]

When Jim Davidson called Brian Dowling a “poof” and “shirtlifter” on Hell’s Kitchen last year, he was booted off the show – but now Ofcom have cleared the channel of breaching the broadcasting code regarding homophobic comments and bullying. 197 viewers complained when ITV showed the footage – but the channel said it was necessary to “reflect fairly and accurately” what was happening (and lure in a few more viewers, perhaps…). In its ruling, Ofcom said that most viewers understood the ins and outs of Reality TV, and were able to vote people out if they didn’t like their behaviour. Oh, and they also rejected the 31 complaints from viewers about Marco Pierre White’s use of the term “pikey’s picnic”. What do you make of all this? Should Ofcom have come down harder on the channel, or are you glad they showed Jim’s true colours?

HW