Friday 10 January 2014

"The Great British Fuck Off"

From Wiki:

The Great British Fuck Off is a BAFTA award-winning British television swearing competition first shown by the BBC on 17 August 2010.

The judges are Tourette's sufferer Sweary Mary and professional potty-mouth Paul Holyfuck. Mel Giedgroyf and Sue Ferkins have presented all four series of the programme. The competition selects the most foul mouthed and offensive amateur of its competitors.

Having gained increasing popularity since the first series, it is credited with reinvigorating interest in bad language throughout the UK and many of its participants, including winners, have gone on to start a career based on swearing (notably Gordon Ramsey and Peter Capaldi).

The series now appears in three versions: the main Fuck Off series, a celebrity charity series in aid of Sport Relief and Hand Relief, and Junior Fuck Off, for young children (broadcast on the CBBC channel).

In April 2013, a spin-off format was also launched on BBC Two, the Great British Swearing Bee. In 2014, Fuck Off will move to BBC One after achieving record ratings on BBC Two.

6 comments:

benj said...

I like the way the show also highlights not just traditional Great British swear words, like "bollocks" but regional differences too like the Southern preponderance to call people "Caaaaaants!" or "Wanka!" while Northerners prefer more poetical invective like " ah fooking bugger it"!

It's been interesting to note, none of the contestants have been brave enough to try the modern British classic, "you spazz". Time will tell if this one makes it onto the TV.

Mark Wadsworth said...

Bj, you're showing your age!

"Spazz" was a standard generic insult in the 70s and possibly 80s. But nowadays, the word is "special".

This is commonly used as an insult from one child to another when an adult is present (who doesn't realise it is an insult).

benj said...

@MW

London is so Multi-Cultural, Fusion-Swearing has become very popular.

"fucking kurwa!" English/Polish

"shaffty tabarnak" English/French

"suck my kiss" English/Arabic

benj said...

A great example of where fusion swearing can end up.

Glaswegian/Cockney/Jamaican

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scNLfr1EP08#t=64

benj said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Mark Wadsworth said...

Bj, which would be a winning entry in the Commonwealth Games, of course.