Media regulators OfCom have let ITV off for airing the more controversial of Russell Brand's gags during the Brit Awards earlier this year, despite receiving over 260 complaints. This year's Brits were, of course, aired live, the first time in 17 years the music business' annual back slapping party had been shown on live TV. Most contentious were Brand's jokes referring to Robbie Williams' then newsworthy rehab visit and those allegations that Tory type David Cameron smoked some dope while at school, though gags about Iraq and the Queen also caused some offence.
But OfCom said that while some of Brand's comments had been "on the edge of acceptability", none of them breached broadcasting rules. Claims that the drugs gags glorified drug taking were not upheld because "the overall context of the comments made by the presenter was not that drugs were acceptable". Complaints about other jokes which included "sexual references" were also not upheld because said jokes were "appropriately and sufficiently limited and inexplicit".
The regulator concluded that: "Ofcom's view is that on balance, and although on the margins of suitability, these comments and jokes were acceptable in the context of an established music awards ceremony. Ofcom also considers that the references made about popular culture by the presenter were sufficiently obscure to be beyond the comprehension of young children. While the comments certainly contained anatomical references, they were scripted in such a way as not to be overtly sexual and were therefore not in breach of the code".
However, complaints that Brand is an irritating cunt who shouldn't be given a platform from which to irritate were upheld, and the regulator has banned him from being involved in any future high profile television projects. Yeah, I wish.