Harry Enfield

Harry and Paul
BBC1, 26 September 2008, 21:00

Ofcom received 42 complaints regarding a sketch in the Harry and Paul show which depicted a so-called upper class character, played by Harry Enfield, encouraging a Northern man - whom he treats as his dog - to mate with his neighbour's Filipina maid. The scene showed the Northerner , known as Clive, failing to show interest in the maid and the Harry Enfield character shouting encouragement and urging Clive to mount her before sending the maid back to the neighbour's home.

The complainants expressed concern that the sketch was offensive to the Filipino community and women in general, by presenting the Filipina as an object of sexual gratification.

Ofcom Decision

Ofcom recognises the sensitivities involved when comedy makes reference to or represents any particular ethnic community in the United Kingdom . In this case it was a Filipino who featured in the broadcast. We therefore considered this material in the light of Rule 2.3 (generally accepted standards) which says that …broadcasters must ensure that material which may cause offence is justified by the context…

This particular sketch was one of a number which ran throughout the series in which Harry Enfield plays an extreme comedy stereotype of an upper class toff living in the South of England. This caricature has little sensitivity to those outside of his social class. Consequently, he treats Clive like his dog. It is in this context that the sketch showed the Harry Enfield character encouraging Clive to mate with his neighbour's domestic help, for whom he also has little or no respect.

Whilst Harry and Paul is a new series, Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse are long established comedians whose style of humour often focuses on presenting characters in an exaggerated and stereotyped way for comic effect. The comedy frequently comes from the absurdity of the situation.

In terms of the degree of offence and the likely expectation of the audience, we considered whether the material was justified by the context of the sketch as a whole.

As noted above, this item featured established comedians and the sketch was typical of the material presented by Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse in this, and other series. Therefore it is Ofcom's view that the material would not have exceeded the likely expectation of the vast majority of the audience.

Further, in Ofcom's view, there was no intention to ridicule women or the Filipino community in this sketch. The target of the humour was very clearly the upper class character played by Harry Enfield who holds such a deluded view of his social superiority that he treats individuals with lower social status with ridiculous disdain. The Filipina domestic help was featured as a character in the sketch to highlight this extreme and ridiculous behaviour.

Comedy often, and rightly, engages with challenging and sensitive subjects such as social class. In this respect Ofcom must regulate potentially offensive material in a manner that also respects freedom of expression – the broadcasters' right to transmit information and the viewers' right to receive it. Ofcom must therefore seek an appropriate balance between protecting members of the public from harm and offence on the one hand and the broadcaster's right to freedom of expression on the other, taking into account such matters as context.

Although this sketch may have caused offence to some individuals, it explored the issue of social class in an absurd way which was not intended to reflect real life. In our view this was the approach and effect of this sketch. On balance, it is Ofcom's view that the material did not breach generally accepted standards because it was justified by the context.

Not in Breach

Harry Comedian Harry Enfield's BBC show has been labelled disgraceful and distasteful by whingers of the Philippine community in the UK.

A petition has been launched condemning the Harry And Paul show for a sketch in which one man urged another to "mount" a Filipina maid.

The Philippine embassy in London has written to the BBC and the Press Complaints Commission about the scene.

A spokesman for the show said it was in no way meant to cause offence. Harry and Paul is a post-watershed comedy sketch series and as such tackles many situations in a comedic way. Set in this context, the sketch in question is so far beyond the realms of reality as to be absurd - and in no way is intended to demean or upset any viewer.

The scene, first broadcast on 26 September, was part of a running joke in which a family from the south of England treats a northern man like a pet dog: Our chums up the road wanted to see if they could mate their Filipino maid with our northerner, said Enfield's character as the maid danced provocatively in his garden. After the performance failed to have the desired effect, Enfield shouted: Come on, Clyde, mount her.

In the Philippines, foreign secretary Alberto Romulo, summoned British ambassador Peter Beckingham to discuss the broadcast.

The British Embassy in Manila later issued a statement saying the BBC had editorial independence and the views expressed and portrayed by the network were completely independent from the government.

A petition organised by the Philippine Foundation called for the "re-education" of the BBC. It said: This particular sketch is completely disgraceful, distasteful and a great example of gutter humour. It accused the BBC and the show of inciting stereotyped racial discrimination, vulgarity and violation of the maid's human rights. The sketch was tantamount to racism and [the] worst sexual abuse and exploitation of the hapless young Filipina domestic worker employee.

Harry Enfield has revealed that he was banned from performing as a sex-crazed Muslim hoodie and a paedophile Catholic priest in his new BBC comedy show.

Executives at production company Tiger Aspect ordered the 47-year-old comedian to scrap plans for characters Father Paddy and the unnamed Muslim because they might cause trouble, Enfield said. He added: I was told, “Don't even go there.”