Censorial Bullshit…Ofcom publish their 2008-9 Annual Report

Based on article from ofcom.org.uk See also Ofcom Annual Report 2008-09 [pdf] Read more Ofcom TV Censorship on MelonFarmers.co.uk

Our worthless TV censor, Ofcom, seem to excel in writing such bullshit fine ideals as Empowering citizens and consumers and improving regulatory compliance where necessary Reducing regulation and minimising administrative burdensWhilst at the same time they are running an almost religious crusade against sex on TV.Anyway, if anybody would like to read any further examples of vaporous nonsense, then they have just published their Annual Report

Babe of the Day…TV Censor Ofcom sets 10pm watershed for babe channels

Based on article from ofcom.org.uk Read more Ofcom TV Censorship on MelonFarmers.co.uk

Bang Babes Tease Me, 18 March 2009, 21:00 Bang Babes is programming of a sexual nature, available freely without access restrictions on the channel Tease Me (Sky channel number 912). It is situated in the ‘adult’ section of the Sky EPG. The channel broadcasts programmes, after the 21:00 watershed based on interactive ‘adult’ sex chat services: viewers are invited to contact on-screen presenters via premium rate telephony services. The female presenters dress and behave in a sexually provocative way. Ofcom received a complaint about content broadcast, soon after 21:00, on Tease Me on 18 March 2009. The complainant said that the programme showed the presenters simulating masturbation and included close up screen images of the presenters’ anal areas. Overall the sexual content was considered to be in excess of the material generally available on a channel without restricted access at 21:00. Ofcom viewed the material. It noted that the broadcast showed three different presenters during the period 21:00 and 22:00. In the background a rolling film showing clips of women’s bodies, which included one particular image of buttocks that showed the area immediately around the anus. At 21:05 one of two presenters onscreen, wearing thong style pants, positioned herself on all fours and began to thrust her body to the camera for a period of approximately five minutes during which anal detail was visible. At 21:13 a single presenter replaced the two women. There followed a 45 minute period with this presenter wearing a very skimpy thong. Images of her with her legs open and her buttocks to the camera showed her anal area in some detail. She also lightly touched her buttocks and genital area and appeared to simulate oral masturbation. Ofcom considered Rules 2.1 (generally accepted standards) and 2.3 (material which may cause offence must be justified by context) of the Code. Ofcom Decision: Breach of Rules 2.1 and 2.3 In terms of the content of this broadcast one of the two presenters on screen at 21:05 posed in a sexual position, on all fours. Given that she was wearing thong style underwear there were occasions when her anal and labial areas were shown in intrusive detail. In addition, when the single presenter took over at around 21:13, she lay on her back and opened her legs whilst she gyrated in a sexual manner. She also lightly touched her genital and anal area and spanked her buttocks and on a few, brief occasions appeared to simulate oral masturbation. In Ofcom’s view the actions of each of these presenters onscreen between 21:05 and 22:00 was sexualised and sexually provocative and filmed in an intrusive manner. The nature and location of the channel in the ‘adult’ section of the EPG and the existence of parental controls are not sufficient in Ofcom’s view to justify broadcast of such content before 22:00. The broadcast was therefore not justified by the context and breached Rules 2.1 and 2.3. The Pad Tease Me 2, 20 March 2009, 12:30 The Pad is a televised daytime interactive chat programme broadcast without access restrictions. It is located in the ‘adult’ section of the EPG on the service Tease Me 2 (Sky channel number 948). Viewers can call a premium rate telephone number and talk to an onscreen female presenter. Ofcom received a complaint that material broadcast at lunchtime featured a presenter in a black PVC basque and fishnet tights lying in various positions such as on her side and back with her legs intermittently opening. In addition, she stroked her legs, thighs and buttocks throughout the broadcast. The presenter’s outfit was skimpy revealing a low cleavage, and whilst lying on her back one of her nipples was visible for a short period of time. Ofcom considered Rule 1.3 (children must be protected from unsuitable material by appropriate scheduling) and Rule 2.3 (broadcasters must ensure that material which may cause offence is justified by context). Ofcom Decision: Breach of Rules 1.3 and 2.3 With reference to the nature of the content, the presenter was dressed in an item of clothing that was very revealing to the point where her breasts were barely covered. This meant that when she adopted a certain position on her back, and the producer cut to a camera angle looking down onto her body, it was likely that her nipple area would be exposed to viewers. In Ofcom’s opinion, one of the presenter’s nipples was visible despite any nipple covers she was allegedly wearing. In addition, in Ofcom’s view, the positions adopted by the presenter – such as lying on her back with her legs opening and closing, and lying on her side lifting her legs up and down whilst stroking her thighs and buttocks – exceeded a “flirty” manner and were sexualised in nature. Whilst showing a bare breast and nipple before the watershed is not a breach of the Code where it is justified by context, in this case the sexual nature of this material in addition to the visibility of the presenter’s breast and nipple meant this partial nudity was shown in a clearly sexual context. This in Ofcom’s view was not acceptable for a daytime broadcast. Ofcom Note to Daytime and Adult Sex Chat Service Broadcasters Ofcom has during the past two years published a number of breach findings relating to daytime chat and adult sex chat channels which are available without access restrictions. Some of these contraventions were considered serious enough and/or were repeated so that Ofcom imposed financial penalties. In this Bulletin, Ofcom has recorded breaches of the Code against broadcasters for transmitting material which was too sexually explicit. Broadcasters operating in this area are reminded that Ofcom’s Broadcast Bulletin and adjudications by the Content Sanctions Committee contain important guidance on the broadcast of sexual material. Failure to follow such guidance may result in Ofcom considering further regulatory action, including statutory sanctions. Daytime and adult sex chat broadcasters must take all reasonable steps to protect people under eighteen and ensure that generally accepted standards are applied to their material. Daytime chat programmes must ensure that all material broadcast is appropriate for the time of day bearing in mind that it is transmitted before the watershed and at times when children may be in the audience. Similarly, material of a sexual nature broadcast after the 21:00 watershed must be appropriately limited and justified by the context to ensure compliance with generally accepted standards. For instance, broadcasters operating in the free-to-air ‘adult’ sex chat sector should take great care not to include physically invasive shots, in particular images of anal or genital areas for example, or of any real or simulated sex acts including masturbation or intercourse, or inappropriate shots of simulated oral sex.

Not In Bweach…Jonathan Ross cleared over gay quip about Hannah Montana MP3 player

Based on article from ofcom.org.uk Read more Ofcom TV Censorship on MelonFarmers.co.uk

Jonathan Ross BBC Radio 2, 9 May 2009, 10:00 During a live and unscripted part of his Saturday morning radio show, Jonathan Ross discussed the prizes for the week’s competition with his producer, Andy Davies. The prizes were primarily made up of Hannah Montana merchandise, which included a Hannah Montana MP3 player. As part of this discussion, Jonathan Ross said: If your son asks for a Hannah Montana MP3 player, then you might want to already think about putting him down for adoption in later life, when they settle down with their partner. Ofcom received 61 complaints from listeners who were concerned that Jonathan Ross’ comments were offensive and derogatory towards the gay community. Ofcom considered these complaints under Rule 2.3 (material that may cause offence must be justified by the context). Ofcom Decision: Not in Breach Jonathan Ross’ BBC Radio 2 show has been broadcast since 1999. It has an established format that is largely made up of quirky, humorous stories and on-air chat with the show’s producer, Andy Davies. The comment complained of was made during a live and unscripted element of the programme as part of a light-hearted discussion between Jonathan Ross and Andy Davies. In Ofcom’s opinion, the comment was clearly presented as a joke intended to make light of the reactions that some parents may have if their child chooses a toy that is very widely recognised to be designed and marketed for the opposite sex. The humour was therefore based on the absurdity of the scenario and was not intended to cause offence. The fact that this comment was intended to be a joke was illustrated further by the reaction from Andy Davies, who was heard laughing. Ofcom therefore considered that the nature of the joke and the tone and manner in which it was presented made clear that it was not intended to be hostile or pejorative towards the gay community in general. Ofcom took into account that Jonathan Ross is a well known personality, who has an irreverent, challenging and at times risqué humour that is familiar to audiences. Ofcom also recognised that the comment was clearly aimed at an adult audience. Importantly, if children did hear this comment it was unlikely that they would have understood it or its implications. In light of this, Ofcom considered that there was little potential for the comment to be imitated by children, for example in the playground. Ofcom considered that the comment was in keeping with the usual light-hearted and humorous style and format of the programme. The nature of the joke would have been well understood by the vast majority of listeners and would not have exceeded their normal expectations for the programme. Taking all these factors into account, Ofcom considered that on balance the material was justified by the context and met generally accepted standards. The programme was therefore not in breach of Rule 2.3 of the Code.

Lara Does a Twirl…Uncut Lara Croft Tomb Raider lined up for Blu-ray

Thanks to Gavin Read more BBFC Cuts on MelonFarmers.co.uk

Lara Croft Tomb Raider is a 2001 US action film by Simon West (Paramount Home Entertainment)Thanks to Gavin The 2009 Paramount Blu-ray is noted as the Uncut Feature and has just been passed uncut but with a 15 certificate Previously the BBFC state that the 2001 Paramount DVD is cut as per the cinema release: Cuts required to glamorising shots of flick knife (including sight and/or sound of knife opening , a close shot of the knife covered in blood, and clear sight of knife being twirled) and to sight of a headbutt delivered by heroine, to take account of the large, young, 12-14 year old audience which has already been created by the similarly cut film version.

Digging Up Old Cuts…Old Cuts to The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue

The uncut region 2 DVD is available via UK Amazon The uncut region 0 DVD is available at US Amazon Read more BBFC Cuts on MelonFarmers.co.uk

The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue is a 1974 Italian/Spanish horror by Jorge Grau (Anchor Bay) All BBFC cuts were waived for the 2002 Blue Underground DVD, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie/The Living Dead at  Manchester Morgue It is interesting to see that this DVD has just been resubmitted to the Australian film censors and they have down graded the certificate to an MA 15+ Previously the 1:27s pre-cut cinema version was submitted for video in 1985 by Network Distribution. The BBFC demanded 26s of further cuts. This release was titled The Living Dead at  Manchester Morgue From cuts details on IMDb: Removed shots of the policeman’s mutilated body Removed all footage of flesh eating Removed shots of zombies on fire Removed the killing of the Doctor with an axe Removed a nurse being eviscerated and her breast ripped off. Before that, VIP released the uncut video in June 1992 titled The Living Dead. The Living Dead was listed as a video nasty in October 1983 but it was dropped from the list in April 1985 Review from US Amazon: British Mini Watching this film was a real treat as it was devoid of the usual American teenage students being slaughtered and was even filmed here in the U.K. It’s full of 1960’s/70’s kitsch and the hero’s even drive a real British Mini, a link copied in a recent advertisement campaign! The picture quality is excellent so you can see the Zombies in all their lurid excellence and so are the extra’s and packaging. If you only ever buy one Zombie movie, make it this one!

Bruno Gagged…Film distributors remove Michael Jackson reference from Bruno

See Bruno extended classifiction information from bbfc.co.uk Read more BBFC Cuts on MelonFarmers.co.uk

The distributors of Bruno have just cut a quip or two about Michael Jackson. LaToya Jackson makes an appearance in the film and this generates a couple of references to Michael. The BBFC write: Re-edited version, Following the death of pop star Michael Jackson, the company chose to remove a sequence involving the star’s sister, LaToya, which includes references to her late brother. Otherwise, the work remains identical to the previously classified ‘18′ version. The BBFC have also kindly explained their decision to award an 18 certificate: BRUNO is a satirical comedy in which Sacha Baron Cohen plays gay Austrian fashion show presenter Bruno, who falls into disgrace and travels to the States in an attempt to achieve fame. This film was classified ‘18′ in accordance with BBFC Guidelines, for strong sex and strong sex references. At ‘15′, the Guidelines state that ’sexual activity may be portrayed but without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour’. Both the scenes of strong sex and the sex references were considered by the Board to go beyond the ‘15′ level, but acceptable at the adult ‘18′ category. There are three strong sex scenes in the film. The first one features a montage of exaggerated sexual activity, including Bruno being anally penetrated by a dildo on a long rod attached to an exercise bike, which his boyfriend is pedalling. Other details include implied anal penetration with a fire extinguisher hose, as well as with a champagne bottle, and sight of a vacuum pump being used on Bruno’s scrotum. The second shows Bruno comically miming fellatio and anilingus as he pretends to have oral sex with a deceased person with whom he is in contact through a medium, while the third scene features sex between couples at a swingers’ party, with sexual detail obscured. The film also contains some uses of strong language.

Bye Bye Beyer Goodbye…John Beyer to step down from Mediawatch-UK

See summer newsletter from mediawatchuk.org.uk See also farewell address from mediawatchuk.org.uk Read more Beyer News on MelonFarmers.co.uk

A voice whingeing in the wilderness John Beyer has announced his retirement from Mediawatch-UK The many hundreds of responses from members to the news that I have decided to retire from mediawatch-uk after 33 years were over whelming and very humbling. Speaking at the Annual General meeting in May, John Beyer said: There were just so many letters and messages that it was impossible to reply to each one personally. The gifts that so many people sent were very generous and the messages that accompanied some of them were very touching and will always be greatly treasured. Above all, these showed that mediawatch-uk is rather like an extended family with a unity of purpose that binds us all together. In his reflection on his time with mediawatch-uk John said: The challenges now are far greater than when Mary Whitehouse pioneered the campaign in the 1960s. In those days there were just two TV channels and a handful of radio stations. There was no internet, no computer games, no satellite or cable TV and video recorders were confined to the TV studios. The greatest difference then, however, is that there was a much stronger public consensus of what was acceptable on TV and what was not. There was greater certainty about what was good or bad taste and what was decent or indecent. Sadly, all that has changed and broadcasting and film have contributed significantly to the erosion of that consensus and the fragmenting of values. “The ongoing challenge for everyone involved is to reverse the responsibility-free attitudes and behaviour of the permissive 60s, which, combined with a political ideology, had a huge impact on the social, moral and economic development our society and culture. I am confident that mediawatch-uk is up to the challenge. Please continue to support the new team”.

Hunting for Censorship…Old Cuts to The Hunting Party

The uncut region 2 DVD is available at UK Amazon Read more BBFC Cuts on MelonFarmers.co.uk

The Hunting Party is a 1971 UK drama by Don Medford (Warner Home Video) The BBFC similarly cut the X rated 1971 cinema release and the 1986 Warner video by 1:43s From cuts details on IMDb: Cut to remove horse-falls Edits to the attempted rape scene with Hog Warren beating Melissa Cut close up of the slaughter of a cow Blood spurts from gunshot wounds were removed Ending cut to the scene of Brandt Ruger’s bedroom assault of a hooker with a candelabra and a cigar. See cuts details from dvdcompare.net In the US, the film was originally cut before its release in 1971, to achieve an ‘R’ certificate from the MPAA. The uncut version of the film was also submitted to the BBFC, who demanded 1min 43s of edits that were somewhat different to those required by the MPAA. However, all DVD versions of the film appear to derive from the American ‘R’ rated variant.

The Terrorist Hunters…UK governments bans book

Based on article from independent.co.uk Read more Government Censorship on MelonFarmers.co.uk

The publication of a book by a former top counter-terrorism officer has been blocked by the Attorney General. Baroness Scotland obtained an injunction preventing The Terrorist Hunters from hitting the shelves as planned today. The book, by the retired Scotland Yard assistant commissioner Andy Hayman and the former BBC home affairs correspondent Margaret Gilmore, focused on the struggle against terrorism since the July 7 attacks. It also looked at the murder of the Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko and gave a glimpse of top-level political and intelligence work. The reasons behind the injunction cannot be published for legal reasons. Sources said it had been vetted by the Cabinet Office, MI5 and MI6.

Temptation to Censor…ASA Advertising censor offended by tempting ice cream

Based on article from asa.org.uk Read more ASA Advert Censorship on MelonFarmers.co.uk

An ad, which appeared in Delicious Magazine and Sainsburys Magazine, for Antonio Federici Gelato Italiano ice cream, showed a priest and a nun looking as if they were about to kiss. The nun was in full habit and the priest was wearing rosary beads around his neck and holding a pot of ice cream in his hand. Text stated KISS TEMPTATION. Ten complainants thought the suggestion of a kiss between a priest and a nun was offensive, because it demeaned people who had chosen to follow a religious vocation. ASA Assessment: Upheld The ASA noted the ad played on the theme of giving into temptation but stopped short of showing the nun and priest kissing. The ad stated KISS TEMPTATION and the two were portrayed in a seductive pose, as if they were about to kiss passionately. We considered that the portrayal of the priest and nun in a sexualised manner and the implication that they were considering whether or not to give in to temptation, was likely to cause serious offence to some readers. The ad breached CAP Code clause 5.1 (Decency) and must not appear again in its current form.