back to article Only 3% of UK's TV oglers want more sex

Ofcom has been polling viewers about television standards, finding that most seem happy with how things are, even if they aren't entirely clear how the current state of play is maintained. The figures come from Ofcom (PDF, lots of numbers), which asked 1,700 people their opinions, then repeated the process with another 1,700 …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Offensive Content

    I'll always turn over/off when offensive content comes on :

    - 'Big Brother' and anything like it,

    - Anything with 'Celebrity' in the title,

    - Party political broadcasts.

    Sex? Not enough on to get offended.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Offensive Content

      "Sex? Not enough on to get offended."

      It's not offensive: It's just shit.

      Too many half-decent series get spoiled by the need to 'spice them up' with porn (True Blood and Rome both spring to mind).

      This is the digital age, not the 80s. If I want porn, I have the Internet. There's no need to put it in regular TV programming, just for the sake of it.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Offensive Content

        Totally agree this 'spicing up' attitude is really annoying.

        Remember that first series of Torchwood? Russell Davies had this oh so clever idea to take a character from childrens/family TV to use as the basis of an 'adult' series by adding a few 'fucks' to the dialogue and showing some mild nudity. Only a sniggering 14 year old would thats what constitutes adult. Amazing he was allowed to get away with it by the BBC.

  2. wowfood

    What about adverts

    In fact viewers seem remarkably content with the regulatory process, with the nine o'clock watershed (before which all TV shows have to be kiddie-friendly)

    ----------------

    So why is it I turn on my TV before 9pm to see sexually provocative images of a woman stripping down, or a man walking round showing off his ass for a perfume commercial. Or the sexually provocative women selling bodywash with nothing but foam covering their naughties. How is that child friendly?

    Seriously, after 9pm go for it, advertise cologne for men by using a naked guy (how that's meant to work I don't know... Do the majority of men who use cologne prefer their own gender?) but when I'm watching TV earlier than that, while eating dinner, I don't want to see a naked guy going on about how the perfume is a window to the soul which can only be opened with a crowbar made of dreams.

    And a similar note. Why do we only get guy ass? I can understand the no nips rule for women, but if you're gonna show guy butt, do it for girls too.

    I'm not being a prude here, I just think if they say they're gonna do something they should do it. And if they're gonna show off naked man ass PLEASE show off more woman too.

    1. Richard Wharram

      Re: What about adverts

      Back in the 90s they had adverts with boobs in. What happened to them?

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: What about adverts

        >adverts with boobs in

        That's terrible what would small children think ?

        dinnertime presumably?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: What about adverts

          >adverts with boobs in

          You still see plenty of them on French TV. Mostly adverts for dairy products, make of that what you will...

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What about adverts

      Did you know pre-watershed nudity IS allowed?

      its all about context...

      That is what is great about the UK, while we are seen as prudish, in actual fact we're more concerned about violence than nudity, and if its non sexual, then nudity is often acceptable!

      I don't mind my sons seeing nudity on TV, but I would care about them watching a sex scene, even if there was no nudity!

      It is all about context!

      Oh and I totally agree, keep those sexually charged adverts for later at night, it makes more sense...

      1. druck Silver badge
        Stop

        Re: What about adverts

        "Did you know pre-watershed nudity IS allowed?"

        I do now; I was eating dinner so wasn't quick enough with the remote control to switch over before the pointless short slot the comes after Channel 4 news. There was a full frontal of some bloke on the screen, and it put me right off my sausage and mash.

        1. Mike Flex

          Re: What about adverts

          "There was a full frontal of some bloke on the screen, and it put me right off my sausage and mash."

          At least it wasn't meat and two veg.

    3. Rugster

      Re: What about adverts

      I think they are appealing to the women to buy the cologne for their man. Maybe if they smell like the sexy man on the advert, they will watch less TV.

  3. Richard Wharram

    Who needs smutty telly these days?

    Wirelessly delivered broadband and laptops/tablets means you can be sat on the sofa with the telly on but still be ogling everything from celebrity nip-slips to goats being fisted by chimps in rubber.

    ...

    On reflection, I should have finished that sentence a bit earlier :(

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Who needs smutty telly these days?

      I agree - you should have finished that sentence earlier. Although 3% of people don't.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Did they also ask how much television people watch?

    I glanced at the contents of the PDF and couldn't see it there. I would guess that the Internet has replaced TV as the favoured time-wasting activity of many adults. If I lived by myself I probably wouldn't own a TV set as I'd get better value by spending the price of the TV licence on DVDs, etc. However, as a means of mesmerising children the TV licence is quite good value, I suppose.

  5. Code Monkey

    There's a Bill Hicks (mis)quote for every occasion

    Boy is my thumb not on the pulse of [the UK]!

  6. John H Woods Silver badge

    Innuendo

    Not that it bothers me in the slightest, but I'm amazed at how much innuendo slips under the radar - kids were watching Takeshi's Castle yesterday afternoon and the narrator was saying how important it is to "not allow your ring to be penetrated" or something similar.

    Still I suppose the musicians have been getting away with it for decades, so it's only fair.

    1. Richard Wharram

      Re: Innuendo

      Many years ago I watched the Chuckle Brothers (no idea why) and they walked into a shop they'd previously been in:

      Paul: "I must apologise for the little fracas."

      Barry: "I can apologise for myself!"

      I nearly shat.

    2. spiny norman
      Meh

      Re: Innuendo

      But, is that deliberate innuendo on the part of the presenter, or is it just how you've interpreted it? (I've only watched that programme once and didn't pay that much attention, so I really wouldn't know).

      Even if you think that kind of behaviour is a problem, its very difficult to regulate without making the whole system appear ridiculous. We had censorship on the BBC in the 1950s and people like Kenneth Horne and Spike Milligan ran rings round it, similarly some of Radio One's attempts to censor pop songs.

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: Innuendo

        Or humph on I'm sorry I haven't a clue.

        "After tasting the meat pies, Samantha said she liked Mr Dewhurst's beef in ale; although she prefered his tongue in cider!"

        "Samantha has to nip off now to meet her cheesemaker gentleman friend. He has promissed to show her how to put a blue vein into a Caerphilly"

  7. gaz 7
    Thumb Up

    Innuendo

    quite amused by Reg readers commenting on how much innuendo is on the telly, given how much filth one can read into this site! Not complaining btw - I'm a Viz reader so this is quite tame.

    For innuendo, Corrie often does a nice job before the watershed - often hear snippits shile the wife is watching (honest!). Fave recently was when scary Mary apologised to Roy Cropper for getting piccalillie on his Bishop whilst eating sandwiches over a chess game.

    The writers often drop stuff in for the filthy minded of us to spot. there was once a blackboard on Emmerdale with a list on it which spelt arse biscuits!. hilarious if you spotted it.

    It's the only way I can cope with soaps short of a divorce. More please

  8. ElNumbre
    Meh

    Made of Stronger Stuff

    I think the quantity of programming showing the beast with two backs is probably about right, but the quality of "specialist" programming is a bit naff compared to what is on the internet*

    How about allowing the "specialist" programmers to show something a little stronger to those who choose to subscribe and view? It may# reduce the number of people looking at the really filthy stuff on the interweb, because they can get their kicks from a tellymabob, rather than is currently the case only seeing bums and boobs bouncing around? Cause/Effect?

    Finally - Embarrassing Bodies - Seems somewhat gratuitous sometimes pre-watershed. I know its supposed to be educational, but really, some warning before showing a manky vag or a 90 degree peen would be appreciated, especially when some people are still eating at that time of the day.

    *allegedly

    #unscientific sample size of 1

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Made of Stronger Stuff

      I'd have thought that anyone who watches a programme called "Embarrassing Bodies" while eating deserves what they get.

  9. John G Imrie

    Only 3% of UK's TV oglers want more sex

    The other 97% where interviewed in front of their partners?

  10. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

    Sex on TV

    On TV I want to see interesting plot, character development and good production values. For sex scenes there is proper porn, not those simulated, boring and un-sexy representation of the director's fantasies.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    9pm watershed

    So am I the only one who finds the current concept of a 9pm watershed totally inadequate. The idea that material rated 15, 18 on DVD can be shown on broadcast TV from 9pm on the basis that children under 15 will be safely tucked away in bed by 9pm.

    I 'd like to point out as a parent of a young teenager that very few kids go to bed so early nowadays. Perhaps it was different in the 1950s. I'm guessing from responses here and the survey this question was nor addressed directly or even considered.

    Personally I'd go for 10pm watershed for 15 rated and midnight for 18 rated material. PVRs mean this not a problem for anyone.

    1. NumptyScrub

      Re: 9pm watershed

      quote: "I 'd like to point out as a parent of a young teenager that very few kids go to bed so early nowadays. Perhaps it was different in the 1950s. I'm guessing from responses here and the survey this question was nor addressed directly or even considered.

      Personally I'd go for 10pm watershed for 15 rated and midnight for 18 rated material. PVRs mean this not a problem for anyone."

      I would completely agree with you, except I'm now thinking that due to the prevalence of PVRs the question of a "watershed" has effectively become academic. If there's an adult series you want to watch, that is on after midnight (and therefore most parents will be tucked away already too) you'll PVR it. Your teenage progeny will know well enough how to work the PVR, so they now have access to this series prior to the watershed, regardless of when it was first broadcast. Alternatively you just need to let them know the login for your internets-based catch-up service once (no doubt for a legit purpose at the time, like missing the latest Yu-Gi-Oh! or somesuch) and they can use that to watch adult content any time during the day too.

      So now I don't think a watershed is going to be effective, or even particularly necessary, at this juncture. It's just moved the responsibility of monitoring content being consumed by teenagers to the parents, instead of the broadcaster.

      It also follows that if you don't want them watching TV unsupervised, you won't want them to be messing around on the internets unsupervised either, given the order(s) of magnitude difference in "unsuitable" content on the internets. I'm amazed at how many parents miss that particular trick :(

    2. Mr Fuzzy
      WTF?

      Re: 9pm watershed

      I 'd like to point out as a parent of a young teenager that very few kids go to bed so early nowadays.

      Well, send them to bed then!

  12. Andalou
    Facepalm

    Get tae <preserve our sensibilities>

    The most bizarre example of censorship I have seen recently is this week on Breaking Bad (don't panic, not spoiling) where a verbal use of 'fuck' is cleaned out. They can show a tortoise like that, they can show that character showing the other side of his face, they can focus on a drug kingpin as a 'sympathetic' antihero but you can't show a single 'fuck off'???

    Perhaps I've ahem'ed the Walmart version? Serves (intended) me right, I suppose. I wonder how much I've inadvertently missed from previous episodes. How many versions do they have?

  13. This post has been deleted by its author

  14. mickey mouse the fith

    I loved the way father ted got round the (much stricter) censorship back in the 90`s.....feck, arse , doity fecker etc. I presume ofcom have a list of naughty words and dont count words that sound slightly different but everyone knows what they really mean.

    I really dont know what the fuss over swear words before the watershed is, go to any school and listen to the kids talking, "fuck this", "cunt that" etc, they swear constantly, so whats the point?

    1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

      Re:whats the point?

      The point is to not impress children's minds with the fact that such language is the preferable way to speak, even if it is unfortunately heading that way.

      As for children swearing in school, of course they do and so did we all. But children do it to appear cool to their friends, not because they think it is normal. They know it is not, that it is forbidden, and that is why they do it.

      And that is also precisely why watershed is necessary. PVR is under someone's personal initiative, they had to program the thing, they know what they're getting. Just blindly stumbling into profanity, sexual intercourse and suggestive nudity - not to mention bloody violence - is not something that should happen when children are supposed to be awake.

      Of course, nowadays that parents no longer know when the proper hours are for children of a given age, watershed is probably still moot, but one has to at least make the effort.

      Education is not just for dogs.

      1. jason 7
        Childcatcher

        Re: Re:whats the point?

        As the great Dave Alan said when he swore on The Big Breakfast and Johnny Vaughan apologised to any children who may have been watching.

        Alan, just pulled a puzzled face and simply said "Why? I learnt all those words from children!"

        Vaughan to his credit said "That's a very good point actually!"

  15. Captain DaFt
    Coat

    To me, the Headline was very misleading!

    I thought it meant that 97% of British TV viewers would rather watch TV than have sex!

    Bit of a relief to discover it meant that they thought there was enough sex on Television!

    Cue the Pepperpot! "I don't like sex on the telly, I keep falling off!"

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