Father Help Me Acknowledge You featuring Lucy Stimpson-Maynard from the album I Look Up To The Heavens recorded and produced by John Hodgkinson

The last five blogs have focused on my complaint to the BBC concerning a Celebrity Master Chef episode in which Adam Pearson uttered “Jesus of Nazareth.” As I felt this unacceptable, I complained to the BBC and have been sharing the correspondence that resulted. Last week contained a letter sent by the BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU). The final part of this saga was for me to write to Ofcom with a summary of my complaint. Their reply is below:

Please do not send email to this address as it is an unattended mailbox. You can find out how to contact us on the Ofcom website.
Thank you for contacting Ofcom.
Your views are important to us as they help us to ensure that TV channels, radio stations, and on demand services follow our codes and rules.
What happens next
If you’ve already complained to the BBC
Ofcom will not normally write back to you with the outcome of its considerations.
However, please be assured that if your complaint does raise a potential issue, we will start an investigation. Whether or not we believe an investigation is required, your comments and feedback will be considered, and all our decisions are published in our fortnightly Broadcast and On Demand Bulletin. This includes the latest decisions about the complaints we’ve received.
If you haven’t complained to the BBC first
Other than in exceptional circumstances, Ofcom can only consider your complaint if you’ve already complained to the BBC first. You can do this via their website.
For information about how Ofcom assesses complaints and conducts investigations about BBC programmes, please see our website.

Please see below a summary of your complaint:
Title:
Mr
Forename:
Kenneth
Surname:
Shearsmith
Programme title:
Celebrity Master Chef
Date you watched, heard, downloaded or streamed programme:
30/08/2022
Time of broadcast (24 hour clock):
21:00
BBC Channel/ station/ website/ app on which the programme was seen or heard:
BBC One
Subject:
Inappropriate use of “Jesus of Nazareth” being used as an expletive in a cookery programme
Description of original complaint:
The original complaint BBC process only allowed me to state my concern that Mr Adam Pearson said “Jesus of Nazareth” on Celebrity Masterchef. A fuller explanation of my concern is given below in reply to their initial response
Dear Mr Salt
Thank you for responding to my complaint so promptly.
This is the first time I have lodged a complaint with the BBC, or ITV for that matter – I simply felt a genuine mistake had been made and expected you to accept that there had been an error. I was, therefore disappointed to have instead received what you consider to be justification for retaining Mr Pearson’s “Jesus of Nazareth” expletive.
So, the editing team felt that retaining the expletive was justified because it “reflects the world as it is and you protect freedom of expression.” I am of the strong opinion that in the context of a family cookery programme Mr Pearson’s expletive does not “reflect the world as it is.” Furthermore, Mr Pearson’s freedom to express displeasure with his cooking in a manner of his choice, should have been limited to words that were not defamatory to anyone- in this case Jesus.
I am confident that despite the BBC’s policy “to protect freedom of expression” an expletive referring to Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, would have been immediately removed. Yes, it could be argued that an expletive of this nature would not “reflect the world as it is” as the dire consequences, cite Salman Rushdie, would make such an action most unlikely. However, I put it to you that the BBC policy is applied when it suits the purposes of the BBC; possibly on the occasion in question because it was considered to “make good TV.” The BBC has, therefore created an “unlevel playing field” in which it can be deemed acceptable to profane Christianity, but not other faiths.
I would welcome your response and trust that my comments will be forwarded to Senior members of the ‘Celebrity MasterChef’ team for their consideration.
Reason for dissatisfaction with the outcome of the BBC’s final response:
This was the third and final reply from the BBC’s Complaints Director, Mr Jeremy Hayes.

Thank you for your email about an edition of Celebrity Masterchef in which a
contributor exclaimed “Jesus of Nazareth”. You say this offended against your Christian
beliefs. The measure according to the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines on Harm and Offence
for judging a complaint such as yours is whether the content in question breached
“generally accepted standards1”.
Ofcom, the BBC’s regulator, has recently published research on public attitudes
towards offensive language on TV and Radio. It notes that “’God’ and ‘Jesus Christ’ were
seen as acceptable on TV and radio by the majority of those taking part in a survey both
before and after the watershed at nine o’clock when this programme was broadcast.
I accept that you found this offensive, but I think, even so, this programme did not
exceed generally accepted standards. Accordingly I am not upholding your complaint.
There’s no provision for further appeal against this decision within the BBC. However,
you can contact the broadcasting regulator, Ofcom, if you believe your complaint has
identified a breach of the Ofcom Code though of course it would be for Ofcom itself to
decide whether to consider your complaint

AS he cites Ofcom as part of the reason why my complaint is not being upheld, I have contacted you. The BBC complaint process did not allow me to continue so I wish to put to you the final point I hoped to make to the BBC which I believe should lead to a change of policy,

As part of your justification, you state that “God’ and ‘Jesus Christ’ are commonly used in place of more offensive swear words. This clearly demonstrates that your policy categorises “Jesus Christ” as a replacement swear word. Furthermore, by endorsing its misuse in a “cookery programme” you exacerbate its misuse in everyday speech.

The exact words used by Mr Pearson were, in fact Jesus of Nazareth.
In her Christmas Broadcast of 2008, Queen Elizabeth 11 demonstrated how these words should be used appropriately as an expression of respect
“I hope like me you will be encouraged by the example of Jesus of Nazareth who, often in great adversity, managed to live an unselfish and sacrificial life.”

Mr Pearson, however, used the term “Jesus of Nazareth” inappropriately as an expression of disrespect. Uttering these words in such a manner is most definitely not part of everyday speech and I was especially shocked and offended to hear them on “Celebrity Master Chef.” May I please ask in which BBC programmes have these words previously been used in a similar cursory manner?
I would welcome the comments of Mr James Purnell, the BBC’s Head of Religious Affairs Programming on the points I make here and in my previous letter.
BBC Reference Number:
CAS-7274119
Date you submitted your complaint to the BBC:
02/09/2022
So there we have it – the final act of the saga – I do not know what Ofcom will actually do, but at least I feel that I have done my bit to ensure that the Lord’s name is not taken in vain – at least not in a family tv cookery programme!

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