Boyle in hot water over gags

It’s a feat not even managed by Bernard Manning: a comedian being on the radar of both the equality watchdog and broadcast regulator. Paul Carter reports

Comedian Frankie Boyle has come in for renewed criticism from disability groups following a series of controversial jokes and sketches featured on his late night Channel 4 show, Tramadol Nights.

The Scotsman sparked outrage in the media after making comments about Harvey Price, the disabled son of model and television personality Katie Price, also known as Jordan.

Boyle said: “Jordan and Peter Andre are still fighting each other over custody of Harvey. Eventually one will lose and will have to keep him.”

He then went on to make a remark that implied Harvey would have to be restrained from sexually assaulting his mother.

Miss Price has since complained to the broadcast regulator Ofcom over the issue, who has said it will investigate whether there has been any breach of the broadcasting code.

Mike Smith, Chair of the Disability Committee of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said that Boyle’s attitude towards disability highlights a wider problem.

In a statement on the EHRC’s website, he said: “The jokes about Harvey are distasteful enough, but it surprises me that people are not also talking about the many other jokes and sketches in the programme that relate to disability. These are not worth repeating verbatim, but to give you an idea of the material, Mr Boyle also takes offensive, stereotyped pot-shots at wheelchair-users, people with mental health conditions, Stephen Hawking’s disability and cancer victim Jade Goody.

“I have been to comedy shows where disabled comedians have made jokes about disability, and they have been really funny. More importantly, they have been empowering and have challenged stereotypes.

“But Mr Boyle’s disability-related jokes are different. My concern is not just that his jokes are distasteful or hurtful to individuals (and in Harvey’s case, someone not in a position to stand up for themselves). They denigrate disabled people in a way that implies that they are not real humans, and they are to be ridiculed or feared. As a consequence, this kind of humour perpetuates the discrimination and bad attitudes that many disabled people face.”

He says that the EHRC’s work into researching disability hate crime has found that in many instances, perpetrators of such crimes have been found not to view their victims as human beings with the same human rights as non-disabled people.

Jokes such as Boyle’s reinforce that view, he says.

However, Smith feels that the media outcry and extensive coverage may ultimately prove beneficial for disabled people, as it forces the public to confront the issues around disability and challenge difficult views.

“From my perspective controversies such as this actually help our cause,” he says.

“Not that long ago, disability-related prejudice directed at the TV presenter Cerrie Burnell created public outcry. The reaction to Mr Boyle’s performance indicates that people find these kinds of attitudes unacceptable. Both these incidents speak volumes in terms of just how far we have to move, as a society, in the way that we value, respect and treat disabled people. This debate about what is and is not acceptable will encourage more people to examine their prejudices and hopefully provide stimulus for change.”

Meanwhile, mental health charity Rethink has also submitted a formal complaint to Ofcom over a sketch on Tramadol Nights that parodied attempts to tackle stigma around mental illness by mocking an advert produced by the Time to Change anti-stigma project, run by Rethink and Mind.

Stuart Baker-Brown, who appeared in the original TTC advert said: “Stigma and discrimination can be just as harmful as the destructive symptoms of mental illness itself and this sketch can do nothing but cause further harm. It is a shame Frankie Boyle has to act in such an insensitive and unintelligent manner towards those who suffer deeply and towards those who are far less fortunate than himself.”