I asked in a blog at the very end of last year whether the BBC was right to defend Catherine Tate as a 'genius' when she faced criticism for being rude and unseasonal in her Christmas special.
The row has now taken on political proportions, and keen Tory MP blogger Nadine Dorries, who likes to think of herself as bold and outspoken on her blog, has this to say:
After 15 minutes of Catherine Tate (recorded), I switched off. It was offensive and violated the expression 'family viewing'. I thought of 'The Office Christmas Special' and how Ricky Gervais mixed pathos and wit with spectacular success.Catherine Tate didn't. On what is, whether you are religious or not, a day which is special to all, her own version of the Christmas special was astoundingly inappropriate.
And so, I have begun the New Year complaining. I know many will think I'm more like scrooge than even scrooge was, and that maybe the ghost of Christmas past should have paid me a visit; however I do believe that if we don't speak out about the little things which erode the margins of acceptable standards, then it becomes a free for all; and what little protection is given to families and children will disappear altogether.
I'm not saying no to Catherine Tate - I'm saying yes, at the right time in the right place, and that wasn't it.
She's quite wrong about The Office Christmas Special, which was over-long, over-sentimental and offered very few laughs.
But is she wrong about Tate? I don't agree that you can't be rude on Christmas. And I'm not sure the 'protecting families' line has much going for it either. But I still maintain that Tate's stuff was just average. On those grounds, I agree it wasn't a 'specatcular success'.
