The BBC has defended itself against claims of positive discrimination against Islam, but has opened the debate about whether religion should be basis for comedy.
The BBC have always held themselves up as the beacon of British television broadcasting but have recently been criticised by a former employee for positive discrimination in favour of Muslims.
Ben Elton, who rose to fame in the 1980s, has joined the rank of writers and comedians who have spoken out against the treatment of religions in broadcasting.
Ben Elton
Ben Elton has had his own series on the BBC, both as a stand-up comedian and as a writer.
From the early 1980s, when he was a fresh-faced young twenty-something, he began his performance career which gently turned more to writing as the years progressed. Known during the 1980s for his left-wing political views and criticism of Margaret Thatcher’s government, Elton rose to fame on the back of his satire.
The winner of numerous awards, Ben Elton has written, co-written for television and more recently for BBC Radio 2. He has also had 11 novel published since 1989, two of which have been adapted for the screen. Since the 1990s, he’s also produced some stage plays and collaborated with Andrew Lloyd Webber for the first of his musicals.
Elton’s Criticism
His most recent criticism almost marks a return to his anti-establishment roots by voicing concerns about the relationship between the BBC and religion, namely that the corporation is too protective of Islam.
He said the BBC is too "scared" to broadcast jokes about Muslims for fear of provoking radical Islamists but would "let vicar gags pass” because fear rather than "moral sensibilities" fuelled decisions about what material was appropriate.
The response of the BBC
A BBC spokeswoman said: "No subject is off limits for BBC comedy…The treatment should not cause harm or offence as defined by the BBC's Editorial Guidelines or breach other BBC Guidelines. There is no evidence that the BBC is afraid to tackle difficult subjects," she added.
Religious jokes
As a leading broadcaster across the world, the BBC needs to clarify their position. While wanting to remain unbiased and appeal to the general population, they need to recognise that such decisions risk losing them the best and most talented artists and performers.
Comedy has no real barriers but material needs to be sensitive. This doesn’t mean that certain groups, such as Muslims, should be excluded from comedy material because this only highlights the differences between everyone. Instead, while remaining sensitive to the world issues, Islam should be just as much the butt of jokes as any other religion. Either that or comedy should be scrapped for good.
