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Big B drops the Big C

In Tuesday night’s Big Brother episode between 7 and 8pm, one of the housemates let fly with the “C” word.

And we’re not talking “commitment.”

In a muffled, group conversation, Housemate Bodie referred to himself as a “dumb c**t.”

The pre-recorded sequence went to air at 7.53pm on the east coast, uncensored and without a bleep.

Under broadcast regulations such language cannot be aired before 9:30pm.

TEN defends that the word was unintelligible, to the point of being missed by their own censor. But it was enough for viewers to call and complain.

The trouble for Big Brother follows a year of criticism and governmental review. Minister Helen Coonan currently has the results of the ACMA review before her but is yet to respond to possible changes.

Certainly this incident is a problem for TEN in its first week of the new series. Were it broadcast after 9:30pm then any objections would need to be aimed at the regulations not the producers. But in this instance the show needs to be bullet-proof and it has obviously dropped the ball.

The word has been used on television by other shows including Sex and the City, Weeds and Wilfred – all of them after 9:30pm.

I haven’t been that taken by BB this year. More whitebread 20-somethings all just talking about who they should pair up with, while holding a stubby in their hand. To me that’s a re-run. In the portions I have seen this week there is one storyline, all centered around Hayley / Andrew. When the show could have reinvented itself it’s gone for the well-worn partykids path, and ratings are already down.

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5 Responses

  1. Oh, please … leave BB alone … they must be feeling very unfairly persecuted lately …
    Another “storm in a tea cup” that is stirred up by narrow minded do-gooders who need to get off their high horses and get a life! Are these people actually watching the show JUST to find something to complain about?? How tragic!
    BRING BACK UNCUT … and restore our freedom to choose!!!
    Jack!

  2. Bah. Last year, TEN was advertising one of their shows at around 6.30pm for The Biggest Loser or BB, and a swear word was unbleeped in the promo.

    Earlier this year, the f bomb was dropped on Neighbours, although they insisted that the character (Frazer) said “friggin” or “frickin”.

    And BTW, the C word cannot be heard on TV BEFORE 8.30pm, not 9.30pm, just as long as it’s used infrequently and is justified by context.

    I think TEN’s censors need to get their act together. And WTF is with the “Drug references” advisor on Up-Late? Even if the housemates did talk about drugs, it would never surpass the M rating. And the language is almost always censored on Up-late despite the MA15+ rating. :-/

  3. I actually had the opportunity to replay it a few times and unless you’re looking for it, it’s pretty hard to spot!

    Someone else is talking over the housemate at the time and not sure I would have figured out what was being said without someone telling me.

  4. “Certainly this incident is a problem for TEN…”

    I say rubbish!

    Nothing happening unless advertizers flee. Good bit of controversy for BB07, keeps the brand uppermost in our minds, though I haven’t seen or heard anything on telly about this, so I’m guessing it REALLY is a non-issue (in the larger scheme of things ‘n all).

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