This is British television at its worst. I have nothing against gay men or camp comedy but I do have a problem with Norton's puerile and predictable humour. I have probably never seen one of his shows in its entirety but every time I accidentally catch part of a show a sort of morbid curiosity compels to me to keep watching until I can eventually stomach no more.
A typical episode seems to consist of the following;
- a section where members of the audience voluntarily stand up and try to outdo each other with stories of their most outrageous acts - I once saw a man receive rapturous applause from a guffawing Norton and the studio audience for telling a story of how he was once caught using a frozen chicken as a masturbatory aid by his family.
His material would surely be considered unbroadcastable, offensive and politically incorrect in the hands of a straight comedian but, because it is delivered by a gay man who women don't feel threatened by, it's somehow hip and witty. In truth this is lowest-common-denominator humour whoever it comes from. Depressingly, this most unsophisticated form of humour is lapped up by a worryingly high proportion of 20-30 somethings and it seems as though Graham Norton will be around for a long time yet.
In the past, Channel 4 has been responsible for challenging the boundaries of entertainment and comedy with controversial yet thought-provoking programming. In granting Norton a vehicle to air his own brand of "outrageous" comedy five nights a week, it has merely succeeded in destroying its own credibility and the accolade of being Britain's premier comedy channel.
Shame on you Channel 4.
A typical episode seems to consist of the following;
- a section where members of the audience voluntarily stand up and try to outdo each other with stories of their most outrageous acts - I once saw a man receive rapturous applause from a guffawing Norton and the studio audience for telling a story of how he was once caught using a frozen chicken as a masturbatory aid by his family.
- Norton producing a novelty dildo or sex-toy and demonstrating it to the approving crowd.
- Norton surfing the net to find an American with an obscure sexual perversion and phoning them live on TV in order to make fun of them.
- "interviews" with guests in which Norton will usually bring a once glamorous star down to his level and cram in as much innuendo and penis jokes as possible, accompanied by his annoying laugh.
His material would surely be considered unbroadcastable, offensive and politically incorrect in the hands of a straight comedian but, because it is delivered by a gay man who women don't feel threatened by, it's somehow hip and witty. In truth this is lowest-common-denominator humour whoever it comes from. Depressingly, this most unsophisticated form of humour is lapped up by a worryingly high proportion of 20-30 somethings and it seems as though Graham Norton will be around for a long time yet.
In the past, Channel 4 has been responsible for challenging the boundaries of entertainment and comedy with controversial yet thought-provoking programming. In granting Norton a vehicle to air his own brand of "outrageous" comedy five nights a week, it has merely succeeded in destroying its own credibility and the accolade of being Britain's premier comedy channel.
Shame on you Channel 4.