Viewing Thread:
"If ANYONE is still complaining about Brasseye"

Then do me one favour:

Tell me the specific parts that upset and offended you.
Because you know what? I don't believe you actually watched the programme.
The minister that is screaming about it (I forget her name) has admitted she didn't even watch it.
And most of the complaint calls came on the Friday when it was repeated, so people intentionally watched it to get upset.

Steve Coogan on Big Breakfast news was asked about this whole thing this morning (He co-wrote The Day Today and On The Hour with Morris), and he said
"Programmes that are more than simple entertainment are not liked, and those with low intelligence rush to make snap judgements".

Good point.
So, everyone that complained in the previous thread about Morris, tell me:

EXACTLY what parts upset you?
If you were that offended, you will remember specifically what made you sick.
Or if you can't remember exactly what upset you, then it didn't make that much of an impression so be quiet and go watch Brookside some more.

Now people are complaining about The League of Gentlemen.
Hello?!?!
That show hasn't been on for months, and was stuck on BBC2 in the evening, when most of the morons are busy sucking down Crimewatch or Stars in Their Minds.
Please, if you feel a need to complain, do so. That's what the ITC is for, but at least make sure you watch the programme otherwise your views are null and void.

You're wrong, and you're a grotesqely ugly freak.
Thanks.

Thank you Mr Neil for saying what I've been screaming for the past 3 days.

The behaviour that has followed is exactly the sort of thing he was satirising on his show.

You're upset and complaining?
You just got played, deal with it.

I bet this is what Chris Morris wanted isn't it?

Public outcry, yadda yadda yadda, all the bad mouthing...

The show wouldn't be so much of a hit, if all this attention didn't get to it. And the media has done the exact same thing as what Mr Morris is humiliating, they've just gone all over the top with flashy graphics and stories, etc. etc.

I just look at it and laugh.

I hope a video of the series will come out, oh how I do.

Well done Morris.

You genius you.

To continue to highlight the hypocrisy and plain stupidity of the tabloid's demonising of Morris over the Brasseye special, I would like to bring the following to everyone's attention, in case it slipped by them.

The Sun has led the campaign against what it labels "sick filth" and state that ""Don't talk about paedophilia. Don't discuss it. Don't even think about it. Most of all, don't refer to it in a humorous context."

Ok then, two points:

Saturday's The Star paper had a picture of Charlotte Church, the singer, along with the following captions
"She's a big girl now" and "She looks chest swell" in regards to her in a tight dress.
I would like to point out, as does the article, that Ms Church is 15 years old. Under the age of consent and in "decent society's eyes", a minor.

The Sun carried a picture on Sunday of Fergie and her two daughters on a boat, in dripping wet bikinis with the headline "Fergie and Bea-kini"
I would like to point out that her two daughters are aged 13 and 11.

So, just to get this straight in my head then.

Brasseye is evil and immoral for showing a satirical programme about peodophilia, without actually condoning or demonstrating any acts whatsoever.

The Sun and The Star are ok for making lewd comments at underage girls, because that's news?

Hmmm...seems like I've got this all wrong then.
I'm off out to stare at 11 + 13 year old girls in bikinis and comment on the breast size of a 15yr old with derogatory comments and crude puns.

Hey, don't get mad at me, the papers say that's ok.

Goatboy wrote:
> The Godfather wrote:
> The whole mockumentary was damn funny.
> The only part which I thought
> was wrong was when Morris took a
> boy and asked a 'paedophile' if he
> would like to have sex with
> him.

And what did the guy say?
"You want to have sex with
> my 6yr old son don't you?"
"No." "What?"
> "No,sorry I don't." "Yes you do, you are an evil
> man" "No I don't, I dont fancy him" "...good!
> But you clearly said that you wanted to have sex with my son!"
> "No, I didn't"

OK, I now understand a bit better. Probably because I could remember what the guy said but still, I wouldn't want someone talking like that to my kids.

But I understand what you mean. People complainging about Brasseye. Number 1 it'stoo late for kids to watch so it wouldn't harm them

Also, they are just complaining because it's a serious issue. But what are they complaining about? All they are doing are taking the serious subject and making the paedo's look stupid.

Ok, this time I am grateful for the language filter here, because it forces me to deal with this issue in more than swearing which I am doing outloud and to myself.
I am absolutely goddamn furious beyond belief right now.
Just got home and mum showed me The Daily Mail.
Headline Story? Brasseye.

2 page spread about Brasseye, with comments from the people duped in it, but with no attempt to get comment from either Chris Morris, Channel 4 or Talkback Productions.
Biased, one sided journalism that has no place cavorting as serious journalistic intent.
But it's page 5 that takes the biscuit. The Daily Mail, bastians of moral decency and protector of Britain's values (circa 1902).
They give a detailed breakdown of every single scene from this episode. This is the same paper that has been screaming murder for C4 daring to broadcast this show, yet here they are telling you exactly what "the damning filth" is, in lurid detail. EXCEPT THEY MISQUOTE AND LEAVE BITS OUT.

This distorts the show and gives totally the wrong impression of what actually went on.
They start the page article with
"Despite its two screenings last week, only one and a half million viewers have actually seen the Brasseye special all the way through.
Defenders of Channel 4 and presenter Chris Morris claim critics are missing the point and condemning the show without having seen it.
Here Michael Seamark explains why its scenes have caused such offence. We apologise to our readers who will be upset by the detail. We know we lay ourselves open to accusations of hypocrisy, but unless people know the content of the programme, they cannot appreciate why so many are outraged by it"

Ok, let's break that "disclaimer" down shall we?

They admit that only 1.5 million people actually watched this show. Out of a nation of how many? This would suggest that it't not that big a deal after all, seeing as more people watch the weather on BBC1 than this show.

They apologise to their readers who will be upset.
Not "We apologise to our readers who MAY be upset" but take the presumption that this is automatically wrong and you should hate it.
Biased, manipulative journalism yet again.

"We know we lay ourselves open to accusations of hypocrisy"
You're goddamn right you do, how can a paper that has for the past 4 days been shouting and screaming that this programme should not have been aired, suddenly give an "exact" breakdown of the show?

"Unless people know the content of the show they cannot appreciate why so many are outraged about it"
So, for those people that took the adult choice in not watching or taking an interest in this programme, they are suddenly told what was in it?
That's forcing people to be interested in something that they quite possibly might have decided to ignore.
Why not give a URL for those that might be interested in checking this out? Why spread it over a whole page?
The Daily Mail hate this programme, so why the hell tell everyone what it was about? Why not just ignore it and let it fizzle out?
Bloody hypocritical, pot-stirring sensationalist crap.

And as for the breakdown of the show?

THE NAKED WOMAN
"Purportedly providing a history of peadophilia, a naked "Victorian woman" is shown writhing on a bed.
"This man is having sex with a 10 year old girl. In our reconstruction, she is played by a 25yr old woman. The breasts are innacurate" (etc etc, I've covered this below).
"Afterwards, a little girl is heard asking 'Can I have the money now please?"

But there is no mention made of the fact that the presenter also said, before the asking for money, "This child is a prostitute". (A common practice in Victorian times of child prostitution, and it wasn't illegal then). This makes the whole point of this sketch irrelavent without mention of prostitution on behalf of the Daily Mail.

THE PERVERT ON THE BUS
"Who wants a sweetie?" chortles an actor playing convicted paedophile Fenton Beasley to a mini-bus full of teenage boys and girls.
NOPE. The "teenage boys and girls" are quite clearly in their early-mid twenties.

"The teenagers all laugh nervously"
NOPE. The twenty-somethings laugh hysterically, patting each other on the back and smiling happily.

THE SEX SONG
Morris tells viewers "Look, if a child does take your fancy, please remember, give it a couple of years"
A young girl then appears singing the opening line to a song called "One Day" which clearly refers to the 1st sexual experiences, "One day I want to " she sings, "But not today"
Morris adds his own line, "She can be kissed, but in an innocent way"
Three young girls continue the song "One day, but not today or even tomorrow"

HELLO?
And the problem with this is what? The song is quite catagorically saying "I'm not ready right now, not today or even tomorrow" and Morris, the "depraved maniac" sings "She can be kissed, but in an innocent way"
So what's the message of this song?
DON'T mess around with kids, leave it and wait until they are old enough and willing to do so.

Fools. Bloody fools wrote this article.
I am so furious that this kind of innaccurate reporting fans the flames of something that would die out and be forgotten if these hypocritical "moral Guardians" would act like responsible adults.

They even admit that "only 1.5 million people watched it".
Exactly, and for 2,000 calls of complaint from that 1.5 million means that, once again, the minority is listened to because they scream and cry, whilst mature and intelligent people just ignore something they find distasteful.

I despair of this planet and most of the people on it, we're not evolving, we're turning back into bloody tree-dwellers that tried to catch the moon in a bucket and shrank from fire.

Luddites, each and every one of you that complained without even watching it based on a falsely written article or news report.

Well, I have just had a most interesting chat with Channel 4 and Talkback Productions concerning this whole thing.

Basically, their opinion is "It was a comedy show, we stick by our decision to broadcast and repeat and any complaints can be dealt with through the proper channels"

However, once I explained that I was actually phoning to say thank you, they relaxed and were really cool with me.

For every complaint received, they have had another 2 saying "Well done", so this is being blown out of proportion by the media and gullible public that didn't even watch it.

Bit that really bugs me are, as you said, the people complaining who didn't watch the show. If you didn't see it you don't have any right to say anything. How can a programme you didn't watch offend you?

The other thing are the misquotes and twusts on what actualy happened. Can't remember what paper it was in, but it was going on about the song at the end supporting paedophilia (actually it was clearly saying wait until they grow up)and the paedophile taking a bus full of kids on a tour (bus was full of adults - that was half the joke). These also the fact that the 600 complaints the ITC have received are being blown up into imaginary thousands in some places.

I would seriously love to sit down with every single person who complained and explain to them what the show was actually about.

Well I am not in really any position to comment on this, I have watched BrassEye a few times and last Friday I was at mates house when it was on, it was on in the background and I only caught some of the show and could not hear it that brilliant.

The parts I did see I found amusing and didn't really think it was qrong as I knew it was satire (think that is correct word). The days that followed I saw on Tv and papers that there was a big cafumble about it all and to be honest ignored as I don't pay any attention to the media in the UK so emm there.

"This crowd is very much like a man who's swallowed a bomb, and given the detonator to a monkey."

Ok, this is not directed at any particular person here (except for the one that complained about C4 shouldn’t have shown this programme and then said they didn’t watch it), this is more of an open rant. Feel free to print it off and distribute to anybody screaming about Brasseye, League of Gentlemen or any other television programme, book or work of art that they find “offensive”.

There are two quotes applicable here:
“When did you ever hear anyone say – This work should be banned because I might be exposed to it and it might be dangerous to me”. Francis Bacon, Artist.

“I may not agree with what you say sir, but I will defend to my death your right to say it” Abraham Lincoln.

You, as an individual, have the ultimate control over things that you find offensive. You can not subject yourself to the offending subject matter.
Turn off the television, stop reading that book, don’t look at that object of art.
You have been blessed with free will and independent intelligence. I beg you, please use it, don’t resort to lynch mob tactics and chasing those you disagree with through the village waving flaming torches.
Ok?

The furore of the previous few days over a simple television show has made me realise just how utterly thoughtless and moronic 80% of this population are.
All it takes is one newspaper to whip something up and the herd start lowing before stampeding. The events of the past few days have been like watching the Pamplona Bull run with crowds hurtling through the street, out of control.
Before this fuss, Chris Morris has been criticised by people, and cleared by the ITC over the last series of Brasseye.
The media was waiting for him, they know his style and the targets he attacks. Morris makes a complete mockery of the news media, and this group huddled in their ivory towers refuse to accept any kind of criticism at all, they are above it all.

So when Morris starts to poke around, they scream and cry “Devil!” so that people don’t bother watching the programme to see the actual content. In a previous series of Brasseye, Morris conned the editor of the Daily Sport, who subsequently printed his mobile and home phone number in revenge for being made to look foolish on television, they encouraged people to phone and harass Morris. This is far more abhorrent than any programme about peodophiles.
And it wasn’t even about that, it was about the way the mass media treat this subject.
Chris Morris is an extremely intelligent man, very very witty and very very clever.
He is able to make something look like one thing, whilst it is actually something completely different. And, at the risk of offending (most ironic considering the subject matter), most people do not understand and take offence at having their lack of intelligence highlighted.

Nobody likes to be made to look stupid, or admit that they didn’t understand something, which is how Morris gets away with what he does.
But you cannot censor and vilify somebody because they present a situation or programme that challenges what you may find acceptable.
This is the point of art, to provoke and inspire a response in people. It may be joy, sadness or even anger, but a reaction other than indifference has to be applauded in an age where apathy reigns supreme.
Robert Mapplethorpe, a US artist went on trial in 1990 for displaying photographs of underage children. They were not pornography, but some felt them obscene and tasteless. Much like the Brasseye storm.
After lengthy trial procedures, Mapplethorpe won and a victory claimed for artistic expression.
Morris does not force you to watch his programmes, it is out of your own free will that you do so.
And by subjecting yourself to his mindset, you may be presented with a view that offends or upsets you.
But that only means the problem lays with you. Nobody seriously believes that C4 would broadcast a pro-child sex programme, and indeed it wasn’t.
But in an age where soap operas pull in up to 18 million viewers daily, a programme that doesn’t attempt to install moral and social values through entertainment will be seen as a threat. TV isn’t supposed to challenge and make you think, it’s there to keep you quiet and pacified between sleep and work.
Morris doesn’t do that, and it upsets you.

I say good. TV is one of the most powerful mediums, and should be used as a tool of thought instead of a wet-nurse for oversized infants that are unable to exercise even the simplest of self-regulatory acts: Turning the damn thing off.

Don’t complain about Brasseye for shocking you, complain about all the other shows for not shaking you up.
For one brief instant, you were engaged and passionate enough to reply. When was the last time you did something like that?
So, I personally thank Chris Morris and C4 for pushing the envelope and allowing art to be exposed to an otherwise complacent nation.