December 2011 Archives

I'm not a huge fan of Jeremy Clarkson, as you can see from this I wrote earlier.

But, much as I think he's an idiot, I defend his right to say idiotic things.

Of course people will disagree with him - I do all the time - but if some take offence, well, I'm sure they'll cope. I would much rather live in a world where people have freedom of speech than one where they are frightened to say anything, for fear of offending someone, somewhere.

I am taken aback that more than 21,000 people bothered to complain to the BBC about Clarkson's comments on The One Show, where he said that strikers should be shot in front of their families.

A silly thing to say, but not so obnoxious when taken in context - and it was clear he was joking.

Yet the official regulating body Ofcom is now investigating his remarks. Really? Have they nothing better to do than that?

It smacks, rather worryingly, of Big Brother. If we're not careful, we'll be heading towards a bland state where nobody is allowed to say anything at all controversial.

We've already seen so many gypsy weddings, yet they still have the power to amaze.

The thing i found most remarkable about Lavinia's wedding in the Irish town of Rathkeale wasn't that she was only 17.

Or that she had nine bridesmaids dressed in hideous green and pink outfits.

Or that she was in constant pain wearing the hugely heavy diamond-encrusted dress, which still dug into her hips even though she was sporting nappies on her hips.

No, the thing that amazed me about My Big Fat Gypsy Christmas was that she still went ahead with the wedding after the groom kept her waiting in the freezing cold outside the church for AN HOUR....while he selfishly drank in the pub with his mates and ignored her father's pleas.

What a great start to married life, eh?

At another wedding, we had incisive fashion analysis from dressmaker extraordinaire Thelma Madine.

"It's like more blingier than what it usually is," she said of the fantastic outfits almost worn by the guests.

The sight of a toddler barely dressed in little more than a glitzy bikini was really rather disturbing.

It was great entertainment, and clever of Channel 4 to film it all last Christmas, before the series went out. Somehow I don't think they'll be letting the cameras back.

There seems to be a weird kind of karma happening on the Million Pound Drop.

Last night the studio was the scene of a nasty killing, when mild-mannered Davina McCall turned vicious and shouted: "Stamp on it!"

And so a rogue wasp, which had been buzzing around all night, met its demise under a contestant's shoe.

It didn't seem to do them any harm, because mere minutes later, Seve and Craig won £100,000.

But the bad luck seemed to be transferred to the next contestants.

They confidently put £1 million on the answer that Justin Timberlake had been given an award for 'protecting friends with benefits'. I know he was in a film with that name, but come on! Protecting friends with benefits? The only answer could be the environment.

But I had to feel sorry for the poor girl, who looked so shocked, started shaking and repeated 'Oh my God'. Quite.

Then the next couple managed to blow their million on the first question too!

I have the distinct impression that Million Pound Drop has become a lot easier than when it started. In its first week, hardly anyone made it through to the final question or took home any money. Now that happens quite regularly.

But last night the producers must have been panicking that the questions were still too hard, so found a really easy one for the next contestants.

Which of these cannot proceed the word 'land' to make the name of a country?

Thai, Fin, Po and Pound.

Even they managed to spot that Poundland was a shop and not a country.

Let's hope tonight's questions aren't quite that ridiculously simple. Because shouting 'You're going to lose all your money, you idiots!' at the telly is actually quite fun.