3 days ago
Don't carry on regardless! Ofcom are accused of censorship in free speech row over old TV comedies
Ofcom has been accused of censorship by TV bosses amid a row over the airing of old TV comedies.
Smaller TV channels have said the regulator's powers can disproportionately affect them as the prospect of even a single fine for a breach of rules could put them out of business.
Campaigners have slammed the 'lottery' of rules for old classics including Carry On films such as Carry On Regardless!
Ofcom does not have a list of banned words or phrases, but those in the industry have criticised its guidelines for changing frequently with little rhyme or reason.
Responding to criticism, Ofcom this month released a statement denying any censorship, and insisting broadcasters had editorial independence to decide what they air.
Jonathan Moore, chief executive of RewindTV, told the Telegraph the response 'blatantly ignores' the reality of broadcasting, and is calling for old TV favourites to have special protections under the code.
Mr Moore said: 'Many broadcasters live in permanent fear of falling foul of Ofcom guidelines – small companies could fold if they're hit with a fine and so, inevitably, they are forced to take a 'safety-first' approach when it comes to censorship.
'That means more and more content ends up cut, damaging the authenticity of classic shows needlessly.'
He would like to see a 'presumption of innocence' implemented which would protect companies if something offensive was broadcast in an isolated incident, but would punish repeat offenders.
RewindTV is among a number of channels including Talking Pictures TV and That's TV that have built up modest but loyal audiences through their slate of nostalgic hits.
But it means much of their content contains offensive or outdated views and language.
In an example of the type of minefield broadcasters face, a recent showing of the 1983 comedy Brass starring Timothy West saw the word 'queer' cut from the edit, but 'nancy boys' and 'pansies' were left in.
Mr Moore has argued that viewers of his RewindTV are far more likely to know exactly the type of content they will be viewing that if it was broadcast in primetime slots on major channels.
He told the paper: 'The chances of our viewers being upset by shows such as Doctor in the House or Carry On Laughing are small – they are far more likely to take umbrage at the sort of adult language that is now the norm on mainstream broadcasters.
'But it's not appropriate for us to dictate to those broadcasters' audiences any more than it is appropriate for others to dictate to our audience.'
A spokesman for Ofcom said: 'Ofcom is not a censor. Freedom of expression is at the heart of our broadcasting rules – and these rules do not prevent the broadcast of content that may be offensive or controversial to some audiences.
'Each broadcaster has editorial freedom to decide the type of programmes or films it airs.'
