Game of Thrones is arguably the world’s biggest show, and it’s difficult to imagine it would be quite so successful if it wasn’t for its high levels of violence. Yet it has come under fire recently for its depictions of violence towards women, with even die hard fans questioning whether it was necessary.
For Sky content boss Gary Davey, the criticism is misplaced. He told the Edinburgh TV festival on Thursday that claims the show had used a rape to develop a character unnecessarily were “nonsense”.
Yet it remains an awkward conundrum for media companies. Violence on screen clearly sells, so the urge to ramp up the gore factor, to push the boundaries, is constant. In those circumstances, working out where the line should be is always going to be difficult.
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And finally....
ITV director of television Kevin Lygo got a cheer for his carefully worded response to Vice chief Shane Smith’s MacTaggart lecture.
ITV director of television Kevin Lygo on @shanesmith30's MacTaggart lecture: "I'm trying not to use the word odious." #edtvfest
— Jake Kanter (@Jake_Kanter) August 25, 2016
