I think, as you imply, context is everything. Same with sarcasm - not guaranteed to be funny, but can be a killer when done well and used in the right place.

e.g. There was a story in the last but one Viz where the last frame featured Abba collectively saying "Buggering arseholes!" - this still makes me laugh.

Agreed. Swearing works well in context, as do most things. When you rely solely on that thing for the humour it gets tedious and sad for me. But clearly some TV viewing people like it.

Current Viz has "Terror on Wasp Planet", where these space advernturers travel around in a space ship shaped like "Jeremy Spake's Fucking Face", and this is how the spaceship is referred to throughout. "You two go on ahead whilst I trim Jeremy Spake's Fucking Beard". Excellent!

Still think first scene in Weddings + Funeral could not have been done anyother way, even if it does sound a bit dated.
For the best sarcasm try Sean Lock and Simon Evans.

One of the real bummers about swearing being used as a substitute for humour (rather than as a means of conveying it) is that it has a sort of in-built get-out clause in that anybody who criticises it just gets dismissed as some kind of uptight prudish Daily Mail reader.

I agree that swearing is acceptable, but when comedians swear and shout it scares rather than entertains me. (Billy Connely this means you)

Think of the ladies and the children next time Billy!
(Janet and RHC band together in unity)

How can anyone be scard of Billy Connelly??

He's just a great big teddy bear!.and I love the way he talks, I do like a Scottish accent.......

But, I agree with RHC the first scene in Four Weddings.........really couldn't be done any other way! It is what usually goes through my head when I'm tearing up the
A1(M) - late for work (which is most of the time........)

I'm working on some stuff that's going through the BBC censors at the mo. From my experience, the BBC (and I'd imagine this certainly applies to C4 too) are very unprudish these days about post-watershed swearing and cursing. They used to be AWFULLY uptight, and now they just don't care.
They'll let anything from sh*t to motherf***er through without a murmur, in the interests, I assume, of being at the "cutting edge" of comedy / drama.
By sharp contrast, content and libel issues make them crap their little pants.

The irony of this is that these days you can use the foulest possible language, as long as you're not actually saying anything.

In my experience of doing stand-up on TV, the TV co.'s are positively revelling in their new-found liberty vis-a-vis f*ck but still draw the line at c*nt and m*****f***er.
Odd really. Course, everything's relative... Americans regard c*nt as untouchably strong and visiting US comics boggle at the frequency with which it turns up in UK comics' routines.

>In my experience of doing stand-up on TV, the TV co.'s are positively revelling in their new-found liberty vis-a-vis f*ck but still draw the line at c*nt and m*****f***er.
>Odd really. Course, everything's relative... Americans regard c**t as untouchably strong and visiting US comics boggle at the frequency with which it turns up in UK comics' routines.


Strangely , even the South Park movie didn't say the word c**t.

Progs like EastEnders and Corrie used to use mild swearing like "bloody", "Bastard" "bugger" and "arse" but now that has stopped. But now they're allowed to say m*****f***ing c*** about an hour later. Appalling! I also say EastEnders etc. were much better when they were allowed to make political refs. "Community spirit went out the window when the Tories come in"
"No-one's fault you being unemployed, 'cept that cow at Nunber 10!"

I really don't get people taking offense at swearing most of the time. They're only words. And they don't actually mean anytrhing in most contexts in which they are used.

And the only good thing to come out of Billy Conolly is "BIG JOBBY!" That never fails to make me laugh. But then so does "poo".

>And the only good thing to come out of Billy Conolly is "BIG JOBBY!"

Ooooh no! What about his "I went to a Catholic school. I've got A-Level Guilt"?
Or is that just because I did and I have?

The reason Americans find c**t so offensive is that over there it is solely used as a description of women, whereas over here it used about men. Imagine calling a woman a c**t in England and see how horrible and offensive it becomes.

My parents have always sworn in front of me, quite strongly, so it is subjective to where you are brought up, because most of the eight year olds round here shout stronger obscenities than you lot and yet I don't like people swearing if they are angry.
Probably just because I'm f****d up.

Sorry that was meant to be f****d up.

Television needs a bit of swearing

>
>Television needs a bit of swearing

Hmm...how about Telepissflapvishiton?

Swearing's better on the radio...

Swearing's better on the internet...

Thought I'd get those in before anyone does.

The Men Behaving Badly was more funny with the beeps than without.
"Swearing is not the lowest form of wit, it is the height of rudeness" - Miss Bettis the Home Ec. teacher, someone poisoned her with bleach once, but sadly it was a failure

Telling bad jokes "ironically" is the lowest form of wit. e.g The Priory, Mel and Sue.

>Telling bad jokes "ironically" is the lowest form of wit. e.g The Priory, Mel and Sue.

It's the comedy equivalent of Oasis or Elastica selling you songs / attitude you've heard before, but "quoting" them ironically.
Though, of course, that draws Vic and Bob into the fold too. Though they do it with a snatch of elan.
(Sounds filthy. Isn't)

Vic and Bob don't do it with a snatch of elan.

They do it with a weak dribble of toilet humour, and the depressing lingering memories of the days when they were actuall really good.

"Vic and Bob don't do it with a snatch of elan"

"Snatch" - hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!



That is the lowest form of wit.

Elastica are better than Wire.