Watchdog dismisses Brits TV complaints

Published on Monday 31 March 2008 22:18

THE Brit Awards were yesterday cleared of breaching the broadcasting code, despite 128 complaints about bad language and alcohol at the music awards ceremony.

The incident which provoked the most complaints saw the host Sharon Osbourne verbally attack the comedian Vic Reeves, whom she accused of being drunk at the televised bash.

As Reeves, 49, apparently struggled to announce the award for Best British Album, Osbourne, 55, turned to him and said: "Get on with it, you p***head… Shut up, you're p*****, p*** off. P*** off you b******… p*** off!"

At another point, Sheffield band the Arctic Monkeys launched what appeared to be an alcohol-fuelled attack on the Brits school for performing arts, before being cut off.

But watchdog Ofcom said the show, broadcast from 8pm on ITV1 in February, had a "particular reputation" and the swearing would be considered "quite mild". It also said images where alcohol appeared would have been cautionary rather than glamorised.

It said: "While we understand this language may have been offensive to some viewers, it was broadcast after the watershed and in a programme with a particular reputation.

"We believe regular viewers would have been aware of the likelihood of this kind of material. Further, Ofcom research indicates that the examples of language quoted are generally considered quite mild.

"As to the portrayal of the use of alcohol, Ofcom considered this was limited and incidental to the coverage."

&#149 Ofcom rapped the long-running ITV1 drama Midsomer Murders for a violent episode shown during the day when children could be watching.

The episode was repeated at 4pm after its original showing in the evening.