Taste & Decency

A cab driver, delivering me to record a programme for Radio 2 this week asked me, what I, as a Vicar thought of what had been going on. "You know, he said, about Jonathan Ross and all that? Well, I started to say, it's complicated, until I soon realised that I was onto a loser when it comes to popular perceptions.

This has been a tough week for the BBC. What started as an infantile, crass and totally childish prank has resulted in a minor earthquake in broadcasting terms, the ramifications of which will be felt for quite some time.

Russell Brand, quickly realising the consequences of his part as presenter in the now infamous broadcast, consequently resigned from his programme and issued what I thought was an intelligent and exemplary apology. He said sorry and he seemed to mean it.

Jonathan Ross, who has been a controversial figure both inside and outside of the BBC ever since I can remember, will undoubtedly have a lot to reflect on this weekend. I doubt whether he would ever do anything like this again.

Sociologists and Psychologists could have a field day studying the response of the nation to events as they unfolded. Everyone had a vew.

The escalation of puerile humour, irreverent comedy, gratuitous swearing and the emergence of a cheap and disrespectful element within elements of society, is the responsibility of all us who are parents, teachers, politicians and even churches.

The "Am I bovvered" culture cannot be laughed at, and many of us do laugh at it sometimes, without accepting a consequent reduction in respect and courtesy towards other people.

Whilst holding firm to my own faith, I totally respect those who have no faith - even if I continue to be surprised, at how they often concur with the Christian doctrine of the connection between love and respect: for faith demands that our love of a Higher Being is rooted in a basic respect for our neighbour and in the giving of them space to be themselves.

I love a lot of modern comedy and much of the material is sound and ulighting. But if there is one lesson to be learned from the events of this week, it is surely that there are boundaries beyond which we should not trespass when it comes to the culminative effect our actions might have on another human beings. There are limits- the essence of what we mean by taste and decency.