Journal

Saturday, August 07, 2004

a small ponder about humour and the law

Every now and again I'll read a news story that will have me shaking my head with puzzlement. I mean, take the following joke. Or, if you like, "joke":

"Someone came up to me last week and complained about a joke, quite a big-boned girl.
She said: "I think you're fattist." I said: "No, I think you're fattest".


Not exactly the kind of thing you'd think anyone would want carved on their headstone. It's like the contemporary equivalent of one of those really weak Shakesperian puns, the kind that have to be footnoted and explained, and at the end, once it's all been explained, you shrug and wonder if the groundlings did any more than make that noise that indicates that they knew the person on the stage thinks he said something funny and they hoped the next thing he says actually will be...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3539246.stm

Comedian Jimmy Carr is considering further action against Jim Davidson, whom he claims stole one of his jokes.

Carr wrote to Davidson demanding an apology after he allegedly repeated Carr's joke about an overweight woman.

Carr was not satisfied with Davidson's response and was consulting lawyers on further legal action, his agent Hannah Chambers told BBC News Online.


Bizarre. Ah well, if it comes to "further legal action" I will be following the case with fascination.