BBC standards

Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand have made the headlines over the last few days, though not on Newsround. But lots at the BBC goes unremarked.

During the period when there were only a few complaints about Jonathan Ross's and Russell Brand's prank calls to Andrew Sachs the BBC was giving the presenters their backing, saying they hadn't received a complaint from Mr Sachs. But as the Daily Mail's campaign against the BBC chimed with the British public, complaints began to roll in. Eventually Mark Thompson decided he had to do something, and has returned from his holiday.

Thompson's tardiness indicates that he completely failed to appreciate the egregious nature of what Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand had done. The BBC's mindset is against the concept of political correctness (see blog on Sunday 26 October)

But what about offensive jokes aimed at gay people. Here the Daily Mail has a different agenda. Such non-pc jokes are okay, as anyone who doesn't like them is part of the politically correct brigade of which the Daily Mail so disapproves.

It will be news to some, but it seems that last week, Alexander Armstrong, a comedian on BBC One's Have I Got News For You joked about Iran's failure to confirm it had made a world record longest sandwich. He continued: On the plus side they do still hold the record for hanging homosexuals. There were a few audience groans, but no doubt that 'joke' meets BBC standards of decency, and the Daily Mail also has no concerns.