Ofcom dismisses Brits complaints

Ofcom has dismissed complaints about jokes made by Russell Brand during the telecast of The Brits concerning body parts, drugs, Iraq, the Queen and Robbie Williams.

262 viewers complained to the media regulator about jokes such as: "Who among us didn't smoke just a little bit of weed at school, just to take the edge off those irksome crack come-downs?"

That joke was one of two - the other being Brand's question that asked "who has pierced the hymen of awareness to ejaculate success into the uterus of popular culture" - that Ofcom considered in relation to broadcasting code rules governing the "protection" of children and the "condoning, encouraging or glamorising the use of illegal drugs". Complaints regarding other jokes were not regarded as warranting further investigation because "they were justified in the context of what was a rock and pop event aimed at a primarily youth audience."

On the two specific jokes above, Ofcom requested statements from ITV to justify their inclusion in the broadcast. The first, regarding drug use, was characterised as "ironic" and justified given the prominent coverage of both Robbie Williams' admission to a rehab clinic and allegations that Conservative Party leader David Cameron had taken drugs while at school. The second joke was described as "essentially abstract, and employed anatomical rather than colloquial terms in an elaborate comic metaphor which many younger viewers would not have understood."

Ofcom ruled "that on balance, and although on the margins of suitability, these comments and jokes were acceptable in the context of an established music awards ceremony where a certain amount of controversy was likely to be expected by the audience."