Sometimes you go too far...

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**Cheese Elemental**

The ABC has removed its head of TV comedy over the furore surrounding a skit broadcast on The Chaser's War on Everything program.

In a statement, ABC managing director Mark Scott says Amanda Duthie has been removed from her position after a review of the process which led to the skit being broadcast.

The sketch poked fun at the Make A Wish Foundation's work with seriously-ill children and ended with the tagline "Why go to any trouble when they're only going to die anyway?"

"The segment should not have been broadcast. We recognise that it caused unnecessary and unreasonable hurt and offence to our viewers and the broader community and we have apologised for this," Mr Scott said.

The review found there was no failure of editorial policy processes but rather an error of judgement.

"Where staff are concerned about the potential for satirical material to cause harm they should refer the matter to the next level of management. In this instance, the Head of Arts, Entertainment and Comedy reviewed the segment and did not refer it up," he said.

"This was an error of judgement."

The Chaser team says Mr Scott has made a "harsh call".

In a statement, it says 20-20 hindsight is always better than foresight.

The show has already been pulled for two weeks.

ABC TV's executive head of content creation Courtney Gibson will take responsibility for comedy programs until a new head of comedy is appointed.

Ms Duthie will continue to be responsible for Arts and Entertainment programs.

Now, what I want to talk about here is not just the content of this story, but television controversy in general. For you yanks and pommies know don't know, this show, the Chaser's War on Everything, is a satire and spoof show that has garnered quite a bit of controversy in the past due to their extreme sketches and outright rude behaviour. You might have heard about them over there; they managed to get into APEC in 2007 with one of them disguised as Osama Bin Laden. That was bloody hilarious and showed how little our government really cares about the safety of world leaders.

Anyway, I'm rambling now. What I'm saying is that their show sometimes goes too far. Besides this little incident, they did a 'ditty on the dead' in their previous season about dead celebrities including recently deceased Australian icon Steve Irwin. The PM wasn't happy about that. I was even outraged at their latest controversial sketch, and I have a really sick sense of humour.

Here's the controversial video. A warning; it's very sick humour and you might be offended.

It's not too hard to see what's wrong with this. It's a serious topic that should never, ever be used as a source of entertainment. It's like inviting people to sit around a dying person and eat popcorn. Discuss.

**Frazzled**

The guys who thought of this, the people that approved it, should either: Whipped with 50 lashes Singapore style; or more productively be forced to work at St. Judes with dying kids for a year.

Above all they should never have a job above 'floor waxer" ever again.

Absolute gak eating bastards.

**The Dreadnote**

At the risk of becoming unpopular, I thought the video was pretty damn funny. Of course that's not to say I agree with what's being said - it's a sketch, that's not the point.

**Wolfstan**

I would suggest you guys stay away from Brit comedy then, you'd have a heart attack

Not suprised though, Gordon Ramsey is upsetting people downunder at the mo and Janet Jackson & Timberlake caused you guys across the pond to spit ya coffee's out

Best not mention Viz then

**Cheese Elemental**

Brit comedy isn't bad. I've been raised with British comedy, but mainly the likes of Monty Python and 'Allo 'Allo.

**Deff Dread red Edition**

Agreed,that is not cool.It isn't funny either.It is just sick,and in bad taste.I have nothing constructive to add other than,WTF.

**Wolfstan**

No Little Britain for you then

**Squig_herder**

I dont find the skit all that offensive, if you know the nature of the people and the skit, it really isnt that offensive, that is for me anyway.

Before you start proclaiming in a devil or something, i know some dying kids/friends and have had to go to funerals for some, i know what its like to sit there and watch this but i still found the humour in the skit

**BrookM**

To each their own. This may offend some, but what might be funny to some is again, offensive to others. Shrug and move on.

**Deff Dread red Edition**

I loved little Britian,I also like Graham Norton's show.But I think it's not right to make fun on dying kids,but I can understand were you guys are coming from.

**BrookM**

In comedy NOTHING is supposed to be sacred or too far. Monthy Python did a fair share of skits that were then considered horribly inappropriate. Like the Mister Hilter sketch, the Salad Days sketch for being too bloody or the funeral parlour skit where they opted to eat the mother's corpse.

**Frazzled**

Cheese Elemental wrote:Brit comedy isn't bad. I've been raised with British comedy, but mainly the likes of Monty Python and 'Allo 'Allo.

Same.

BUT YOU DON'T MAKE FUN OF KIDS DYING OF CANCER ELSE YOU ARE A SON OF A BITCH AND DESERVE A BEATDOWN.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

BrookM wrote:To each their own. This may offend some, but what might be funny to some is again, offensive to others. Shrug and move on.

NO.

**The Dreadnote**

The thing with this sketch in particular is that it would be just as funny without the dying kids. All it requires is:
1) the pun on the organisation name
2) making fun of the extravagance and selfishness of children's wishes.
It's just somewhat unfortunate that removing the kids from the equation isn't possible in this case, and thus it ends up offending some people. I don't agree that this means the sketch shouldn't be done at all, however.

Regarding the following:

It's a serious topic that should never, ever be used as a source of entertainment. It's like inviting people to sit around a dying person and eat popcorn.

I would have to say I disagree, and that the scenario presented also has the potential to be funny if used well in a sketch.

**Frazzled**

So what. Lets say its the funniest thing in the history of mankind. So fething what?

**Wolfstan**

Frazzled wrote:
Cheese Elemental wrote:Brit comedy isn't bad. I've been raised with British comedy, but mainly the likes of Monty Python and 'Allo 'Allo.

Same.

BUT YOU DON'T MAKE FUN OF KIDS DYING OF CANCER ELSE YOU ARE A SON OF A BITCH AND DESERVE A BEATDOWN.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

BrookM wrote:To each their own. This may offend some, but what might be funny to some is again, offensive to others. Shrug and move on.

NO.

Get a grip love. You should try being in this country when really bad things happen, it takes about point three of a second until the sick jokes start flying

Anybody see the Billy Connelly sketch on Fred Rose? Fred Rose serial killer, Billy does a sketch based on what would of happened if his house was on the site of an old roman cementry. Much humour arises from the idea of them finding the bodies of men on horses

**mcfly**

I thought it was funny.
You wanna meet Zack Efron? Here, have this stick instead.

I like mean humor, and stuff like that makes me laugh on SNL and other satire shows. I don't agree with it, but heck, who cares? Its a joke.

**MeanGreenStompa**

Princess Diana had terrible dandruff you know...

Oh? How do they know that?

Cos, after the crash, they found her head and shoulders on the kerb...

I heard that in the pub the next day. Humour and taste are rarely found together in quantity. The ones making the jokes have to judge if the crowd will find it funny or not. I think that children dying isn't a very funny thing, others might an they have the right to find it so I guess, otherwise we become like the extremists going nuts over the comic strip that portrayed Mohammed (in Holland mebbe?).

**The Dreadnote**

That's a good one

See also:

Princess Diana is questioned in heaven why her halo is bigger than everyone else's. "It's not a halo," she replies, "it's a steering wheel".

**reds8n**

I've just been on the phone to Nick Griffin after the egging outside parliament. He was fuming.
They didn't separate the whites first.

What do the Conservative Party and the Atlantic have in common?

Both have gained 200 seats this week.

ba-dump tish

**Wolfstan**

MeanGreenStompa wrote:Princess Diana had terrible dandruff you know...

Oh? How do they know that?

Cos, after the crash, they found her head and shoulders on the kerb...

I heard that in the pub the next day. Humour and taste are rarely found together in quantity. The ones making the jokes have to judge if the crowd will find it funny or not. I think that children dying isn't a very funny thing, others might an they have the right to find it so I guess, otherwise we become like the extremists going nuts over the comic strip that portrayed Mohammed (in Holland mebbe?).

I wonder what causes us to accept one subject but not the other. I found the video funny and can accept the humour for what it is, make believe humour. The sketch isn't mocking hurt children or taking the mick out of them. I just think that some of can see something, flip it, see the funny side in the flip, without it meaning that we are horrible people.

**The Dreadnote**

reds8n wrote:I've just been on the phone to Nick Griffin after the egging outside parliament. He was fuming.
They didn't separate the whites first.

ba-dump tish

Okay, that one wins the prize. Also, new favourite website!

**BrookM**

Frazzled wrote:
Cheese Elemental wrote:Brit comedy isn't bad. I've been raised with British comedy, but mainly the likes of Monty Python and 'Allo 'Allo.

Same.

BUT YOU DON'T MAKE FUN OF KIDS DYING OF CANCER ELSE YOU ARE A SON OF A BITCH AND DESERVE A BEATDOWN.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

BrookM wrote:To each their own. This may offend some, but what might be funny to some is again, offensive to others. Shrug and move on.

NO.

Please patrol all threads with this amount of PC, please. Where were you when people were making tasteless jokes about the man that ploughed through a crowd?

**The Dreadnote**

Hey, he's got you there man.

**Frazzled**

BrookM wrote:
Frazzled wrote:
Cheese Elemental wrote:Brit comedy isn't bad. I've been raised with British comedy, but mainly the likes of Monty Python and 'Allo 'Allo.

Same.

BUT YOU DON'T MAKE FUN OF KIDS DYING OF CANCER ELSE YOU ARE A SON OF A BITCH AND DESERVE A BEATDOWN.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

BrookM wrote:To each their own. This may offend some, but what might be funny to some is again, offensive to others. Shrug and move on.

NO.
Please patrol all threads with this amount of PC, please. Where were you when people were making tasteless jokes about the man that ploughed through a crowd?

Its not PC

.
Its called really really bad taste.

To quote the immortal guy who brought down McCarthy "Have you no decency sir?"

**The Dreadnote**

There are no absolute values for what is tasteful or not, as this topic makes pretty clear. Doesn't make any of us bad people.

**Wolfstan**

Frazzled wrote:
BrookM wrote:
Frazzled wrote:
Cheese Elemental wrote:Brit comedy isn't bad. I've been raised with British comedy, but mainly the likes of Monty Python and 'Allo 'Allo.

Same.

BUT YOU DON'T MAKE FUN OF KIDS DYING OF CANCER ELSE YOU ARE A SON OF A BITCH AND DESERVE A BEATDOWN.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

BrookM wrote:To each their own. This may offend some, but what might be funny to some is again, offensive to others. Shrug and move on.

NO.
Please patrol all threads with this amount of PC, please. Where were you when people were making tasteless jokes about the man that ploughed through a crowd?

Its not PC .
Its called really really bad taste.

To quote the immortal guy who brought down McCarthy "Have you no decency sir?"

Now you've done it, you've gone and got me confused now...

Slating a make believe comedy sketch (and the people who find it funny), but happy to defend for hours the right to own an automatic rifle (or multiples of) in case someone burgles your home?

**whatwhat**

Wolfstan wrote:I would suggest you guys stay away from Brit comedy then, you'd have a heart attack Not suprised though, Gordon Ramsey is upsetting people downunder at the mo and Janet Jackson & Timberlake caused you guys across the pond to spit ya coffee's out

Best not mention Viz then

Erm? Yes British humour is fairly dark at times but as if we would tolerate this sort of thing. Do remember the furor caused over the jonathon ross/russel brand telephone incident. (the janet jackson thing however I do agree would have passed without hardly a second look here, but that's a totally different animal)

But this is just pathetic, and it's a shame because I have seen some of chasers war of everything stuff before and found it quite good.

Wolfstan wrote:No Little Britain for you then

And little britian is the biggest pile of spank I've ever seen in my life. And I know I'm not the only one in the uk who thinks that by a long way.

**MeanGreenStompa**

PC is just someone being more sensitive than you. You take offence at the joke, I also find it unpleasant but I don't decry someone making that joke or want them strung up for it.

I worked for several years in child protection in social services, the sense of humour in those offices was dark as hell but there wasn't a single member of that team who wasn't utterly dedicated to their job or principles.

Take that Diana joke, I laughed when I heard it, it was funny to me but in no way does that mean I was 'glad' a young woman had been killed in a traffic accident or that I was not moved to sympathy for her children or family.

**Wolfstan**

Life of Brian. Brilliant film... unless you're a religious person

**reds8n**

The Dreadnote wrote:There are no absolute values for what is tasteful or not, as this topic makes pretty clear. Doesn't make any of us bad people.

..it's for entirely different reasons that we are bad people.

I think with humour it's very much about the to whom and when the joke is mentioned. I think it was about 30 minutes after we first heard about Diana we cracked our first funny, and less than an hour after it began when I was posted the first photoshopped WTC image. All smilable enough I guess, but if you were involved directly then not at all funny. Going back to the original video.... well, the concept I think is quite clever ( several years after Chriss Morris was doing much darker and funnier stuff in Blue Jam i would hasten to add), but i can see how if you had a child in that/similar situation this would be nothing but upsetting.