Lady Elspeth Howe is the chairman of the Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC).
This week she will be launching the commission's new report on what the public thinks
about what sex on our screens. Howe has no doubts about which way we are headed.
As an
issue of social concern, sex on television has gone down a bit. Our new report shows that
there is a greater acceptance of sex as long as it is relevant to the story line.
Deciding what is relevant and what goes too far is a crucial part of Howe's work. When
Disgusted Of Tunbridge Wells wants to protest about the sight of some three-in-a-bed romp
on television, Howe is the lady he can turn to. Already she has received complaints about
the Christmas Day edition of Men Behaving Badly, with its quips about masturbation and
pornography which topped the day's ratings but had fewer viewers than in previous years.
What did she think of that episode?
I'm sorry but we've had complaints so I can't comment about that particular
episode.
But did it make her laugh?
Bits of it did. That particular programme I thought was the least funny.
Has she sympathy for those who say that we need more programmes suitable for all the
family at Christmas time?
In the great tradition of watchdogs, she admits:
I didn't watch much TV over
Christmas, so I have a rather jaundiced view. But I have to say that I think it's
important that when families are together there should be more suitable stuff for them to
watch.
She tells me that she's no prude and that showing us what goes on beyond the bedroom
door can be quite instructive. In terms of parents and children and being more open
with each other.
But she does believe that there are limits. The question is - where does she draw the
line?
We are able to draw the line by doing lots of research into what the public thinks
is acceptable at any given time. The basic question that we always ask is - was this
amount of sex necessary in showing something important or is it just gratuitous? You have
to consider quality of the drama as a whole, the general morality of the thing, before you
make a decision.
I point out that you can have serious high-minded drama that will still shock your
maiden aunt. Context or thematic depth doesn't make a pair of naked breasts any less
offensive for some. At this she sounds impatient.
Look. Of course the sight of a naked body is bound to upset somebody. You have to
get the balance right between the rights of those who want more realistic scenes of sex
and those who want less.
Is she saying that the BSC would defend the right of people to watch more sex on TV?
Indeed. If they want to watch it.
Howe has no doubt about the need for fair regulation. And though she admits that
standards of taste and decency are hard to define, she still believes it can be done. But
look at the vast amount of sexually explicit material we see on our screens - simulated
oral sex, sadomasochist practices. Hasn't the battle to preserve taste and decency already
been lost?
She takes this in her stride and says:
Are you suggesting, as it were, that there
isn't any further to go?
Has she discovered any new areas of human depravity then?
Well, for my sins I've had to watch some of the late-night adult channels. The
point is broadcasters are always pushing the boundaries. And over time, taste and what the
public will accept changes, too.
Critics of the commission say that it epitomises the kind of nanny-state mentality we
want to get away from. Is Howe the Mary Poppins of the small screen?
Look, everybody in this sort of role will be regarded as part of the nanny state.
But our research shows that the Brits who don't like being bossed about still say, 'Yes we
think regulation is necessary for quality and for standards.'
There is already an effective means of regulation - it's called the on and off switch.
Shouldn't people be responsible for what they watch on television and not some quango of
the great and the good?
No doubt all libertarians would say that. But you could be sitting with your
great-aunt and switch on the TV and see something shocking.
Has that ever happened to her?
Oh yes! she says with a nervous twitter.
I can't remember what it was, but
I was embarrassed.
What did she do?
I rushed off to make a pot of tea - which is a very British thing to do.
Is Howe the right person for the job? Does she ever spend much time watching
television. Does she like it?
Oh I love television, I like everything. I've always been a bit of a TV addict.
She is asked for a few examples.
Well, says Howe and then goes silent. She seems rather stumped by this.
Finally she comes up with a pretty unconvincing answer.
In the old days, I liked Birds of a Feather and Panorama and. . .
Never mind.
