It's not offensive to say Dawn French Is A Huge Twat
Watchdog clears comedian's tour advert
Adverts for the touring show Dawn French Is A Huge Twat are not offensive, watchdogs have ruled.
Two readers complained to the Advertising Standards Authority that an advert in the Sunday Times magazine promoting her stand-up gigs might cause ‘serious or widespread offence’ because of its uncensored title.
But promoters Phil McIntyre Live successfully argued the title of the show was humorous and aimed any offence at French herself.
They told the watchdog that the title of the show was important and that they would only advertise in places which would allow them to use the title in full, without censoring some of the letters.
And they added that the term ‘twat’ was used by many people, including French, in their everyday lives.
In its ruling, published today, the Advertising Standards Authority ruled: ‘We considered that most readers would likely be aware of who Dawn French was and her style of comedy, and that the use of the word would be understood by readers to be self-deprecating and tongue-in-cheek, and it was not, for example, used in a sexual context.
‘We understood that the word "twat" written in full was in line with the editorial style of the Sunday Times and that the word reflected similar use of language in the editorial sections of the newspaper where the word had been used in full, without any asterisks.
‘We therefore concluded that whilst some readers may have found the ad distasteful, it was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence to its audience.’
The Sunday Times did not receive any direct complaints about the ad, which ran in its Culture section in December.
Earlier this week it was reported that French has joined the cast of Radio 4's Cornish sketch show Wosson Cornwall, alongside comics Edward Rowe, best known for his Kernow King character, Joanna Neary, Tamsyn Kelly and Anna Keirle and writer-actor-director Ciaran Clarke. The four-part series is being recorded in Penzance later this month.
The Dawn French Is A Huge Twat tour continues in the autumn.
Published: 15 Mar 2023
