Sir Trevor cleared over Manning joke
ITV has been cleared by TV watchdog Ofcom following complaints about Sir Trevor McDonald calling the late comic Bernard Manning a "fat, white bastard".
The remark, made on ITV1 show News Knight with Sir Trevor McDonald on the week Manning died, sparked 112 complaints that it was racist or inappropriate.
Sir Trevor told viewers: "Personally, I never thought of Bernard Manning as a racist comic... just a fat, white bastard..."
Ofcom said the former newsreader "clearly intended to parody" Manning's own brand of comedy "where he claimed he wasn't himself racist, but simply made 'jokes' based on racial stereotypes".
Ofcom said: "In the case of this programme, Sir Trevor McDonald obviously, and intentionally, drew on Bernard Manning's own style of humour, which frequently played on the real or apparent prejudices of his audience.
"It was in such a context that Sir Trevor McDonald could therefore state that he did not consider Manning to be a racist but then went on to say that he was '...a fat white bastard'."
The regulator said the 10pm show was broadcast an hour later than the 9pm watershed and that "it was clear from the outset that the programme, whilst a comedy, was an edgy, satirical look at the week's news and that on occasions there would be some material that risked offending some viewers".
It cleared ITV of breaching broadcasting guidelines, ruling that "any offence that may have been caused was justified by the context".
Can anyone say 'double standards'? I don't have a problem about McDonald's joke at all, but if Steve Coogan for example told a joke about McDonald being a 'big black bugger', there would be no doubt that the evil Feminazi cunt Polly Toynbee and the rest of the foul French Trotskyite PC brigade would be on his back quicker than you can say 'socialist utopia' and brand him an untouchable racist thought criminal. IS THAT FAIR?!?
5 comments:
So having being cleared of any wrong doing, I take it that he would not mind being called a black bastard?
So I have taken the opportunity to do so and will see if he gets upset? :-)
How can it be offensive if he is black, asian, a muslim or a cock sucking arse bandit?
Should add too that there's nothing on the BBC website about it, but there is a headline over Jim Davidson telling some fucking bender a home truth.
GUESS WHAT THAT FILTHY MAN-HATING DYKE, COUNCILLOR BANCE HAS BEEN EMPLOYED BY OXFAM TO ATTEND THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY CONFERENCE? OXFAM HAS EMPLOYED BANCE TO SPREAD MAN-HATING, ANTI-DAD CRAP ACROSS THE UK IN THE NAME OF ERADICATING POVERTY IN THE UK. APPARENTLY BANCE IS POLICY AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, FIGHTING POVERTY ACROSS THE UK. BUT SHE IS ACTUALLY FIGHTING US TORIES AND LOATHING MEN, IN THE GUISE OF HELPING BRITAIN'S POOR.
Oxfam has no business employing Antonia Bance to run their UK poverty programme, and this is more to do with her Labour Party position and government role. As a long-time supporter of Oxfam, it offends me that Oxfam is now part of the Labour gravy train!
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