Foul language on TV set to rise after Ofcom finds that viewers can ‘tolerate’ it
The watchdog claims people were more offended by discriminatory language than old fashioned swearing
SWEARING on TV is set to rise after Ofcom said viewers “tolerate” it.
People were more offended by discriminatory language, the watchdog claimed.
It published a new guide to offensive terms after consulting viewers, with the C-word worst.
“F***”, loved by chef Gordon Ramsay, and “motherf*****” were unacceptable but “s***” deemed less so.
Substitute oaths such as “feck” were just as bad if used too much, it found.
Repeated beeping over swearwords pre-watershed was also ineffective, it said, often drawing attention to bad language.
But it said viewers tolerate swearing post-watershed if “it reflected the real world”.
Discriminatory language, including racism, was less acceptable, Ofcom’s research suggests.
It also ranked gestures for the first time, with the V-sign and middle finger deemed “medium”.
But signals imitating oral sex and masturbation were “strong”.