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Prompted by Gordon Ramsay show, Aussie senators propose TV changes

19.06.2008 18:01 Arts - Source: cbc.ca

Scottish chef Gordon Ramsay, seen here in March, has raised the hackles of several Australian senators with his famously foul mouth.(Stephane de Sakutin/AFP/Getty Images)

Outrage over one of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay's TV shows has prompted an Australian Senate panel to recommend a few changes to the country's television system.

Australian Senator Cory Bernardi was among those who supported the panel's inquiry, after discovering an episode of the hit series Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares where the famously foul-mouthed chef uttered the F-word 80 times over the course of 40 minutes.

"And I'm not referring to 'fondue,' " Bernardi said.

Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, in which the Scottish chef attempts to revive sagging restaurants in Britain and the United States, is broadcast in Australia by the Nine Network.

No ban, but review needed

The Senate committee's report, released Thursday, rejected calls to ban outright certain swear words from Australian television or to add additional broadcast restrictions.

"In the absence on an overwhelming community consensus that particular words be banned altogether, the committee does not believe it is appropriate to make any recommendations with regard to imposing additional limits," said the report from the eight-senator panel.

Existing rules already prohibit curse words to be broadcast on Australian television before 8:30 p.m. local time (Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares has an 8:30 p.m. timeslot on Nine). Also, warnings advising viewers about coarse language must be shown before the start of programs containing it.

However, the Senate panel did have several recommendations, including:

that broadcasters consider keeping an icon on screen that permanently displays a program's classification;
that program classifications more accurately reflect a show's content;
that the terms to denote the amount of coarse language contained in a program ("occasional," "some" and "frequent") be clarified;
that blocking technology be made standard on all digital televisions sold in Australia, so that parents can bar shows deemed unsuitable for children.

Senator Anne McEwen, who chaired the committee, added that some people noted that it wasn't necessarily the words themselves but the celebrity chef's attitude that caused concern.

"People were offended by the way Ramsay directed his language to his restaurant staff in an abusive and aggressive manner," McEwen said.

"A number of people made the point that that was probably more offensive than the actual words used."

With files from the Associated Press and the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

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