Page 5 | or was Peter Kay homophobic on Strictly?

ThisPasadenaHomemaker · 2016-11-19T22:52:31+00:00

His bit with Rinder made me cringe so hard. That kind of 'humour' based on the idea that gay men are predatory sex pests belongs in the 70's with Alf Garnett type sitcoms rather than 2016 doesn't it? Felt dated, lazy and really awkward. Not that I expect Peter Kay to be at the cutting edge of comedy of course but still. Just me?

DoneAndDustednow · 20/11/2016 11:29

But I'm northern and think Peters a national treasure

People need to stop getting offended over shit.

If you're a gay man and it annoyed you fair enough. If you're a straight woman from Richmond then stop getting offended on the behalf of others!

Etak15 · 20/11/2016 11:42

I didn't mean he was in character so that character can make a homophobic joke - because I don't think it was homophobic, he was in character as a 'Northen workman'with high vis jacket and flat cap etc and the joke was that someone famous and glam would actually want to feel his arse - it doesn't matter wether they were man, woman gay, straight the joke was on him.

EddieHitler · 20/11/2016 11:44

It was a cheap gag and probably dated humour, but I don't think it was homophobic. I don't think it was about him being gay, I've seen it done to plenty of women before, it's just a crap joke. I think people are reading way too much in to it.

There's a backlash against Peter Kay lately, sadly. I quite like him, I thought Car Share was great.

Saucery · 20/11/2016 12:01

How apt your name is to your post, Eddie In a good way!

Chippednailvarnish · 20/11/2016 12:22

But I'm northern and think Peters a national treasure

Some people think Cheryl Cole/versini/whatever is a national treasure. There's no accounting for taste.

eternalopt · 20/11/2016 12:27

It wasn't in good taste, but I think JR himself generally hams it up in a really stereotypical way which is equally at home in the 70s. I'm not a fan

FRETGNIKCUF · 20/11/2016 13:01

It was a subversive joke. Where the joke is about the joke. Ffs.

randomer · 20/11/2016 13:01

thought the whole show was dire. Kevin's face!!

BertrandRussell · 20/11/2016 13:38

Has anyone mentioned people "overthinking it" yet?

Or it being fine because Rinder makes jokes about being gay himself?

Or it just being "a bit of fun-get over yourselves"?

Have I missed anything?

Katy07 · 20/11/2016 13:43

Well I'm gay too & didn't find it homophobic (though I wasn't exactly analysing it at the time). I didn't find him particularly funny - I wish they'd just have Claudia doing the humour without getting comedians / Chas n Dave / musicians etc. on to do the T&Cs. And I thought Claudia was dying on the floor because he was making such a balls up of the T&Cs.
I am fed up though of all the sexual innuendo from the judges (well, mainly Bruno). The celebs just look embarrassed most of the time. And can Bruno not sit on his chair for one show - he's leaping up, swinging his arms around (I pity Len), lunging at the celebs. He makes me and gives gay men a bad name.

Chippednailvarnish · 20/11/2016 13:48

I'd like to get to the point where people stop feeling the need to have someone's sexuality as a defining quality.

woodhill · 20/11/2016 13:48

Yes I agree about the silly sexual innuendos from the judges and I think PK was tactless and it was cringey.

shggg245 · 20/11/2016 13:50

Chippedailvarnish I couldn't agree more!

EddieHitler · 20/11/2016 13:50

It was a subversive joke. Where the joke is about the joke. Ffs.

^Yes, this, exactly.

It's a joke that 'characters' in workingmens clubs do virtually daily, everyone smiles and rolls their eyes. Not hilarious, not even funny, but not offensive.

Last night Peter Kay was there in character, as a parody of those 'characters'. I think it's like the Alan Partridge/Day Today style stuff, some people don't get that the character is a piss take/parody and take offence to it.

Binglesplodge · 20/11/2016 13:54

I've been thinking about this since I saw the thread last night. I can't see that the joke was homophobic: I think he'd have been able to use the same gag regardless of who was behind him. He could have done it with Claudia. Or Anton. It still would have been a joke based on any of the glam celebs wanting to pinch the workman's bum. I completely agree that homophobic humour is unacceptable but if the material would have worked equally well with any of the other celebs then it's not homophobic, it's just smutty. Dated, even, if you like. But not reliant on the stooge being gay.

BertrandRussell · 20/11/2016 14:04

Ah. I forgot "Well, I'm gay and I'm fine with it so it can't possibly be homophobic" (aka the gollywog defence)

Datun · 20/11/2016 14:07

Channelling his inner Eric Morecambe. It's an old joke. Not homophobic, could easily have been a woman. It was his driveling attempt to read the autocue that pissed me off.

BertrandRussell · 20/11/2016 14:14

" Not homophobic, could easily have been a woman."

Yep. Course it could.

WLF46 · 20/11/2016 14:20

It's a bit dated but then what do you expect from Peter Kay? He's the interim between Bernard Manning and Michael Macintyre, all three shit in their own unique way. A lot of men are uncomfortable around gay men - just like women sometimes fear rape from a straight man, straight man fear rape from gay men.

RitchyBestingFace · 20/11/2016 14:22

I don't think it would be any different if it was a woman because it would be implying she's unattractive.

BTW - I don't get offended 'on behalf' of other people. If I see a racist joke - I can think it's racist despite being white. If I see a homophobic joke - I can think it's homophobic. And I don't 'get offended' - I get pissed off that my 21st century born children are still exposed to this shit.

BertrandRussell · 20/11/2016 14:28

"A lot of men are uncomfortable around gay men"

So that's all right then. Perfectly fine. Let's all have a hearty laugh.

Matchingbluesocks · 20/11/2016 14:32

"Today 13:54 Binglesplodge

I've been thinking about this since I saw the thread last night. I can't see that the joke was homophobic: I think he'd have been able to use the same gag regardless of who was behind him. He could have done it with Claudia. Or Anton. It still would have been a joke based on any of the glam celebs wanting to pinch the workman's bum. I completely agree that homophobic humour is unacceptable but if the material would have worked equally well with any of the other celebs then it's not homophobic, it's just smutty. Dated, even, if you like. But not reliant on the stooge being gay."

I don't see this at all- the joke
Was reliant on the stooge being gay. The idea of Claudia doing it (which I can't see ever being set up as a joke
Tbh) is different because of course northern workman bloke would've loved his arse pinched by a beautiful
Woman, not told her to get off and he wasn't open for business.
The joke relied on rinder being gay because it relies on;

A) anal sex
B) the stereotype that gay men are so obsessed with sex they'll shag any bloke
C) the stereotype that gay men are so obsessed with sex they talk of/ act in respect of nothing else

Datun · 20/11/2016 14:34

Eric Morecambe did it a billion times to Glenda Jackson. The 'joke' was that he implied that someone as gorgeous as her was pinching his (not gorgeous) bum.

ComputerDog · 20/11/2016 14:36

The joke went on for aaaaages and I was cringing a bit.

I actually think in the context of it being a "family show" (hate that term but you know what I mean!) it came across a bit mean and unnecessary. If it were a more grown up comedy show it probably would have been fine.

Love that someone upthread thought Len was making a gay joke when he referred to a mistake in JR's dance as "queer"!

Datun · 20/11/2016 14:38

Matchingbluesocks

I didn't think that at all. It was the outrageous unlikelihood that was the joke.