BIG BROTHER - CHURCH OF ENGLAND CRITICISES 'HUMILIATING TV'

The Church of England has slammed TV shows such as BIG BROTHER and LITTLE BRITAIN which humiliate people "for public entertainment".

Reverend Richard Moy has called for the government to do more to investigate the impact such sensationalist and humiliating programmes have on public behaviour, at the Church's General Synod meeting in London.

The Church made it clear that it was "not an attack on the media", but rather a call for more debate on the standards of some programmes – with LITTLE BRITAIN singled out.

VICKY POLLARD, the character played by MATT LUCAS on the sketch show, was slammed for making fun of the way some teenage girls speak.

However, although this could be seen as a case of over-protectionism with regards to people's feelings, it is not just the small screen that is being focused on.

The Synod – the Church's ruling body – also heard complaints that the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) was "making pornography easier to access by giving hardcore material 18 certificates", reports the BBC.

But Reverend Moy admitted that there is a place for this kind of media with proper investigations into its impact, adding: "My only complaint with Channel 4 is that they did not think to have our Archbishop of York on CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER."



02/03/2007 15:49:07