'Simpsons' creator: 'We aim to annoy people'

Matt Groening

The Simpsons creator Matt Groening has admitted that the show aims to annoy people.

The long-running animated TV series has sparked controversy since it began in 1989 because of its irreverent approach towards religion, minority groups and political correctness.

However, Groening insisted that the show's inflammatory elements are intentional: "In America there's someone to pretend to be offended by everything. Yeah, we annoy people, but that's part of the appeal.

"We aim to entertain people, but also to annoy a certain segment of the audience."