Gareth Edwards: Foul language..it's the British curse

Published on Thursday 8 October 2009 10:06

IT'S not big, it's not clever and now it's not going to be allowed on the BBC until after 10pm. Under new guidelines put out for public consultation, the Beeb is looking to clean up its act and has foul language firmly in its sights.

Some would argue such a move is long overdue at the BBC, which has been responsible for giving a first public airing to most – though not all – of the most offensive swear words in the English language.

But with foul language all around us in everyday use, is there really any point in trying to censor language that, arguably, more accurately reflects real life than sanitised, obscenity-free shows?

The bosses at the BBC certainly think so – they want to see a toughening up of the use of three of the strongest words in the English language: f***, motherf***** and c*** – to ensure they are not used immediately after the 9pm watershed.

"The research found that people accept that strong language can be appropriate within a programme but dislike it when used unnecessarily or excessively," said the BBC Trust. "Output controllers and programme or content producers should ensure that strong language, especially the strongest language, is subject to careful consideration and appropriate referral, to ensure it is editorially justified, before it is included in our output."

The guidelines also state that "apart from the most exceptional circumstances", the strongest language must not be used before the watershed or on radio, when children are particularly likely to be listening, or in online content "likely to appeal to a significant proportion of children".

All of which makes a lot of sense. Children will pick up swear words eventually, but there is no harm in reducing the chances of an impressionable mind being exposed to adult language.

Just a few decades ago, swearing was very rarely heard on television and even in Hollywood films shown on TV the worst language was dubbed, usually to hilarious effect – for example, a hero cop telling his partner, "let's get those melon farmers!"

Eleanor Coner, information officer with the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, agrees that any new measures to cut back on the amount of swearing on television and radio would be welcomed by parents.

"Swearing seems to be used a lot more casually in everyday life than it was when I was a child, and it is depressing to listen to sometimes when people swear every second word," she said.

"Children will always learn swear words, and I'm sure the playground is still the place where youngsters pick up most of their bad language, so cutting back swearing on TV would not stop that.

"I still think it would be welcomed by parents however, particularly if they looked closely at context, which can be very important. Swear words have always been part of language. They can be used in different ways, and can still be very offensive to people, and I think that's what needs to be looked at.

"There's also the sheer amount of swearing. A lot of people now swear so much that they don't even notice they are doing it, but TV companies should be careful about making such language seem acceptable."

Of course, while there is no doubt that swearing can be – indeed, is supposed to be – offensive, there is also no disputing the fact that it can be used to great effect for both humour and drama.

The recent BBC political satire The Thick Of It, for example, took creative swearing to new levels of obscenity and employed a swearing consultant, to ensure the fruity language was not simply a humourless slew of effing and blinding.

In contrast, chef Gordon Ramsay has come under fire both here and in Australia for the relentless tirade of foul-mouthed abuse on his cooking show The F-Word.

Professor Ian Campbell, a retired lecturer in Scottish and Victorian Literature at the University of Edinburgh, argues that the debate around swearing is more complicated than simply being "bad" language, and suggests the BBC were heading in the right direction.

"Swearing has always been a part of literature, and in the last 20 years or so there has been a big move in Scottish literature, through authors such as James Kelman and Irvine Welsh, to really capture the way people talk, and that involves a lot of swearing," he said.

"It is not, however, bad language. It is used thoughtfully, creatively, to make their work a more accurate reflection of the time. That is very different to people simply swearing without thinking about it – that is bad language, and sadly most people will not even realise they are doing it. There has to be a fine line walked between accuracy and simply broadcasting bad language, and that is what the BBC is trying to do."

So will this new watershed moment in the BBC's history lead in some small way to a more polite society? If the increasing use of foul language is anything to go by, probably not. Research released last month suggested that swearing was now so commonplace that three in ten Britons hear a swear word once every five minutes.

And while a majority of people still insisted they found swear words unacceptable, 90 per cent of adults admitted they swore at least "occasionally".

All of which means if TV, books and other forms of media are to genuinely reflect everyday life and language, there will be no avoiding the F-word.