[Daniel__]

OFCOM aren't bovvered about The Catherine Tate Christmas Show, despite receiving 42 complaints from offended viewers.

The Christmas special caused the flurry of complaints despite being aired at the later than usual slot of 10.30pm last year.

The Catherine Tate Show is famous for its biting satire, but many viewers believed it went too far - the special edition featured the famously profane Nan's equally sweary daughter, and a Northern Irish family exchanging festive gifts of terrorist paraphernalia and a chocolate penis.
The BBC argued that the Northern Irish skit - which saw family members giving each other balaclavas and knuckledusters - did not insinuate that all Northern Irish families were like that.

And although the arrival of Nan's daughter meant there was more swearing, it was no stronger than before, and the viewers had been forewarned with a pre-transmission announcement with regard to the strength of the content.

Ofcom concluded: “Comedy has a long tradition of engaging with challenging subjects and confronting taboos.

“In this respect, Ofcom must regulate potentially offensive material in a manner that best guarantees an appropriate level of ’freedom of expression’ - the broadcasters’ right to transmit information and ideas and viewers’ right to receive them...

“While it is appreciated that sensitivities still remain in Northern Ireland, comedy, especially satirical comedy, frequently explores the darker side of humanity.

“In our view, this was the effect achieved by this sequence of sketches and consequently they were not in breach of the Code.”

http://thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sho...cle1039051.ece