<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"MPs have called on Ofcom to investigate standards at the BBC after a Radio 4 executive suggested that the &amp;#039;c-word&amp;#039; has lost its &amp;quot;shock value&amp;quot; in response to complaints about a joke by Sandi Toksvig. The BBC received a complaint about a scripted gag by Toksvig on The News Quiz, playing on the Conservatives and cuts to child benefit. It was broadcast last October at 6.30pm and repeated the following day at 12.30pm. Retired newspaper executive Colin Harrow complained to the BBC and the BBC Trust that the comment was offensive and unacceptable, but both bodies rejected his objection.  Paul Mayhew Archer, then commissioning editor of Radio 4 Comedy, wrote to Harrow explaining the reasons why he had cleared the joke, reports The Daily Telegraph. &amp;quot;If my job was simply not to risk offending any listeners I could have cut it instantly. But that is not my job,&amp;quot; he wrote.  &amp;quot;My job here was to balance the offence it might cause some listeners against the delight it might give other listeners. &amp;quot;For good or ill, the word does not seem to have quite the shock value it did. I am not saying this is a good thing. I am simply saying that I think attitudes shift.&amp;quot; John Whittingdale, chairman of the commons culture, media and sport select committee, called on media regulator Ofcom to investigate the situation.  &amp;quot;That word is way out in front in terms of people finding it offensive, and I think to broadcast it on radio at 6.30pm is inappropriate,&amp;quot; said the Tory MP.  &amp;quot;Even though they did it by implication, nobody was left in any doubt about what was meant. Perhaps it hasn&amp;#039;t occurred to the BBC that one of the reasons why this word has lost its shock value is that it is now being used on television and radio.  &amp;quot;But I would expect them to be aware of the risk that children might be listening, especially at such an early hour. I hope that the gentleman who made the complaint takes this matter to Ofcom because I think they are the appropriate people to rule on this, not the BBC Trust.&amp;quot; Last night, the BBC said that long-running panel show The News Quiz is &amp;quot;aimed at an adult audience&amp;quot;, and listeners are therefore &amp;quot;used to a certain level of robust humour&amp;quot;. Ofcom said that it would launch an investigation of the broadcast if a formal complaint was submitted. Last December, Radio 4 presenter James Naughtie said the &amp;#039;c-word&amp;#039; live on air after accidentally switching the surname of culture secretary Jeremy Hunt. His BBC colleague Andrew Marr embarrassingly repeated the slip when discussing the incident later in the same morning. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/media/news/a323437/bbc-in-c-word-row-over-radio-4-joke/>