CW
Charlie Wells
Moderator
Personally I enjoyed the first interview but about 2 minutes into the interview with Shirley Ghostman I thought 'what/who the f**k' and changed channel.
PU
I don't think it is a question of BBC1 viewers not "getting" Ghostman. He just wasn't funny and that was what made the whole thing utterly cringeworthy.
GS
What am I? Chopped liver? I found him funny, dear, as did the friend I was watching with.
It's fair to say he polarises his audience, then.
Gavin Scott
Founding member
Purpleduck posted:
I don't think it is a question of BBC1 viewers not "getting" Ghostman. He just wasn't funny and that was what made the whole thing utterly cringeworthy.
What am I? Chopped liver? I found him funny, dear, as did the friend I was watching with.
It's fair to say he polarises his audience, then.
PU
Well my dear chopped liver, I guess you are right....and thinking about it, dividing opinion to that extent is quite a feat. Possibly. 
PC
As mentioned earlier, perhaps it's all in the delivery. David Brent got away with a joke about Stephen Hawking taking ages to say a line at the Comedy Awards because a) he's already successful and people know his act, and b) his comic timing was genuine and perfect. I didn't see this episode, but I can just imagine an edgy BBC3 character appearing on BBC1 and completely horrifying the more mainstream audience. I've only seen BBC3 once every so often, but it always seems like they get away with murder because they have so few viewers (comparatively, obviously).
The last joke then depends on delivery, while Kurt Cobain jokes are nothing new. I happen to remember a magazine publishing a Cluedo-esque joke with the line: "It was Kurt, in the garage, with the shotgun."
The barriers of comedy are always going to be dodgy - unfortunately it seems like Ghostman has just crashed into them.
The last joke then depends on delivery, while Kurt Cobain jokes are nothing new. I happen to remember a magazine publishing a Cluedo-esque joke with the line: "It was Kurt, in the garage, with the shotgun."
The barriers of comedy are always going to be dodgy - unfortunately it seems like Ghostman has just crashed into them.
GS
Gavin Scott
Founding member
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Spoof psychic sparks TV protests
The BBC has apologised after 350 viewers complained about an interview with a spoof psychic on BBC One's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.
Shirley Ghostman, who has a BBC Three show, made jokes about Jews and cancer.
"We are sorry that many viewers felt remarks made by Shirley Ghostman were unacceptable," the BBC said.
There were also "a handful" of complaints about an interview with Nicole Kidman in which Ross described the star's mother as "a bitch".
Extreme Subjects
Ghostman, played by comedian Marc Wootton, appeared with Kidman and former Friends star David Schwimmer on Ross' chat show on Friday.
Ghostman reflected the "extremes" of subjects discussed on real psychic shows, the BBC said, adding: "In certain cases the material may cause offence because of its extremes.
"Most viewers are aware of the style and nature of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, but we realise the comments were clearly more extreme to some viewers for whom the spoof nature of this character was perhaps unclear.
"It was certainly not our intention to cause such offence."
Pope Jokes
The BBC also apologised for offence caused by jokes about the Pope and MG Rover on topical quiz show Have I Got News For You.
A statement said: "The programme always aims to be entertaining and can often be irreverent, but we certainly don't set out to offend."
Remarks about the Pope were acceptable because of "the enormous amount of positive coverage given to the Pope in BBC programmes recently", it said.
"But we recognise that some in our audience may not share this view," it added.
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I still think Shirley Ghostman is funny. He attacks these psychic performers at their core, and good for him.
And I'll rue the day we can't joke about the Pope.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41054000/jpg/_41054803_ghostmanbbc2_203.jpg
Spoof psychic sparks TV protests
The BBC has apologised after 350 viewers complained about an interview with a spoof psychic on BBC One's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.
Shirley Ghostman, who has a BBC Three show, made jokes about Jews and cancer.
"We are sorry that many viewers felt remarks made by Shirley Ghostman were unacceptable," the BBC said.
There were also "a handful" of complaints about an interview with Nicole Kidman in which Ross described the star's mother as "a bitch".
Extreme Subjects
Ghostman, played by comedian Marc Wootton, appeared with Kidman and former Friends star David Schwimmer on Ross' chat show on Friday.
Ghostman reflected the "extremes" of subjects discussed on real psychic shows, the BBC said, adding: "In certain cases the material may cause offence because of its extremes.
"Most viewers are aware of the style and nature of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, but we realise the comments were clearly more extreme to some viewers for whom the spoof nature of this character was perhaps unclear.
"It was certainly not our intention to cause such offence."
Pope Jokes
The BBC also apologised for offence caused by jokes about the Pope and MG Rover on topical quiz show Have I Got News For You.
A statement said: "The programme always aims to be entertaining and can often be irreverent, but we certainly don't set out to offend."
Remarks about the Pope were acceptable because of "the enormous amount of positive coverage given to the Pope in BBC programmes recently", it said.
"But we recognise that some in our audience may not share this view," it added.
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I still think Shirley Ghostman is funny. He attacks these psychic performers at their core, and good for him.
And I'll rue the day we can't joke about the Pope.
PO
I don't normally watch the JR show any way as I find the "Four Poofs and a Piano" pretty offensive personally - they wouldn't get away with "Four coons and a piano" (for example) - this just builds on dated stereo-types of gay people.
I changed channel for the Shirly Ghostman bits because I'd seen how awful that show is on BBC3, but the way JR handled David Schwimmer really was dreadful, a very flat interview.
I changed channel for the Shirly Ghostman bits because I'd seen how awful that show is on BBC3, but the way JR handled David Schwimmer really was dreadful, a very flat interview.