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AIBU?

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Original poster

Comic Relief before 9pm

292 replies

TittyGolightly · 25/03/2017 08:14

6 year old DC came out of school full of Comic Relief chatter and asked to donate their week's pocket money to the charity. Fine and dandy, we switched on at about 8pm and they showed a short film about a child and their grandmother collecting rubbish in Nairobi. DC was even keener to donate, so we texted in to donate money from all of us. Watched a couple of skits and then they showed a video of a 13 month old girl dying of malaria. Actually dying on the screen despite CPR and being put into a body bag and wheeled away. You can imagine the effect that had on a 6 year old. We've been up half the night with them having nightmares about dying babies.

AIBU to think that wasn't suitable viewing pre-watershed?

OP posts:
HalfShellHero · 25/03/2017 08:52

Why didn't they show more of what kids were doing round the country? Between 7 and 8 xx

MyCatIsTryingToKillMe · 25/03/2017 08:52

Ah OK, he's resorted to that level of humour now has he.

BrieAndChilli · 25/03/2017 08:53

None of mine (10,8 and 6 ) registered the rape comment. I don't think they know what it is so probably though it meant some sort of beating or something, I didn't draw attention to it.
My 6 year old did wAtch the port little girl bit and asked what was wrapped up in the sheet. I told him she had died as hadn't had the right medicine etc he took it well.
To be honest I think it's more upsetting for us adults in a way: for the kids it's very matter of fact, she didn't get the treatment she needed so she died, but for adults we can see the complexities of poverty and the injustice of the world.

Goforit2017 · 25/03/2017 08:53

Thanks op, you have moved me to make a complaint to the bbc which I often mean to do but never get round to.

SookiesSocks · 25/03/2017 08:54

YABU.
You could have switched over it was pretty obvious what was going to happen to that poor little girl.
RND is not about dress up and laughs. It has a purpose and my children have always understood why we raise money.

I found it upsetting to see children in this country missing out on a childhood because they have to be full time carers to their parent but its real and it happening.

I remember the distressing pictures from live aid in the 80s when I was a child all shown on the lunch time news.

As a parent I see it as my job to educate my DC about the world they live in. Sometimes its is horrifying but I try to answer honestly and in an age appropriate way.

Trb17 · 25/03/2017 08:54

I don't know any 6 year olds that are in bed at 8pm, let alone on a Friday night.

What?! All the ones I know are. As was DD when she was 6 unless it's a special occasion.

TheWoodlander · 25/03/2017 08:55

I was immensely affected by that particular clip, OP so I'm not surprised your dc was traumatised by it.

However, I'm very aware that you need to steel yourself to watch CR - there is a quid pro quo for enjoying the comedy moments. I wouldn't have let my 9yr old DD watch it, because she's a sensitive soul, and I know that it would upset her.

I'm not sure the watershed even exists anymore - DH commented that even the R4 Today programme is x-rated these days - a week or so ago they were describing sexual abuse of children graphically at 8am. As for stuff like Eastenders...

Original poster
TittyGolightly · 25/03/2017 08:57

We're rarely done eating by 8pm most nights. That's normal for us and our friends. So what?

OP posts:
FumBluff1 · 25/03/2017 08:58

YANBU about the footage.

With bedtime, my daughter is 6 and in bed at 7.15, 8pm on a weekend.

Hulababy · 25/03/2017 08:58

IME most 6y are in bed by 8pm tbh.
Some of it was hard hitting but it's far harder for those children actually experiencing it than for our safe happy little children sat watching. They don't get a choice as to whether to turn the TV off and not see it.

As others have said it's not uncommon for that kind of thing to be shown before 9. Call the Midwife has babies and children die and that's in at 8. The news is full of it at all times of the day.

Those clips are meant to be hard hitting. They've always run them and right from 7pm onwards.

HalfShellHero · 25/03/2017 08:59

Don't feel guilty kitty at all, there should have been warnings,

chimppyjamas · 25/03/2017 08:59

YANBU totally agree. We had told my 8 and 11 year olds they could watch until 9pm, they both ended up going to bed in tears, 8yo because of the baby dying of malaria and 11yo because of the rape comment. There was also a lot of inappropriate jokes and language. Schools and children are heavily involved in Comic Relief and fundraising so of course they want to watch it. Comic Relief need to be more considerate of this.

We have always watched in previous years and felt they had ramped up the appeal videos and comedy content significantly this time.

Original poster
TittyGolightly · 25/03/2017 08:59

The TV remote wasn't anywhere near me at the time, and I didn't see the ending coming so wouldn't have turned off part way through if it was Confused

OP posts:
sobeyondthehills · 25/03/2017 08:59

I assumed it would be bad, CR have to put up more and more shocking images to compete with a world that is getting desensitized.

I recorded it and watched it with a 15 minutes delay.

Kitsandkids · 25/03/2017 09:00

I thought the quality of the show pre watershed was just awful. I was watching with my just turned 9 year old and expected it to be more aimed at children and families at that time of night. But I don't think either of us found much of it funny. I did enjoy car pool karaoke with Take That but while I laughed at Howard's 'I can't be arsed' anecdote, I didn't particularly want my 9 year old to learn that phrase just yet.

I couldn't believe they did 'innuendo bingo' at that time of night. Fortunately I think mine was just focusing on them spitting water at each other and didn't notice the phrases but still, it was totally inappropriate. Just as 'slag's tan' and Mrs Brown rubbing her boob were also inappropriate. I sent him to bed at 8.30 and he wasn't bothered as he wasn't finding it funny. I'm glad I did so that he missed the awful Vic and Bob skit. The actual hard hitting stuff I didn't mind him seeing as I think he's old enough to start to realise how lucky he is compared to a lot of the world's children.

I know it's all about raising money, and that part of it is great, but the quality of the programming this year was shockingly bad.

WhatWouldKeanuDo · 25/03/2017 09:02

It's not suitable for young children imo because of content of the entertainment sections too.

SouthWestmom · 25/03/2017 09:02

I don't think it was appropriate. You can't get them all excited and then put stuff on that's so distressing.

Why not have the pre 9 stuff about the positives - the massive decrease in death from malaria, the kids going to school all the stuff their efforts and money achieve and postpone the deaths until after 9.

It's not a big ask.

And omg get some funny stuff for next year. No fucking clue who still raises a smile for Vic and Bob, and Ed Sherran singing isn't funny.

Love Actually could easily have been on before 9

HalfShellHero · 25/03/2017 09:03

Good lord why are we wittering about bedtimes,

SookiesSocks · 25/03/2017 09:03

We have always watched in previous years and felt they had ramped up the appeal videos

WTF!!

Yeah sure they staged those videos just to get more donations Hmm
What a stupid comment.
They did not ramp them up. That was and is real life for those people. Its happening right now.
As sad as it makes people I find it shockingly ignorant that anyone would put their delicate feelings before the harrowing plight of those who are truely suffering.

heyduggeeallday · 25/03/2017 09:05

I didn't watch it but just googled it and apparently people have taken to twitter to complain. The fake penis "joke" was cringey!! Isn't it meant to be family entertainment?

WhatWouldKeanuDo · 25/03/2017 09:06

Tbh i turned over at innuendo bingo, at least that was an obvious one to avoid.
It's tricky because my kid had got so into it at school. I think the fact we parents were not exactly enthusing was confusing.

HalfShellHero · 25/03/2017 09:07

Sookies I think she means putting more extreme content on earlier..

NonnoMum · 25/03/2017 09:07

OP - agree with you. On the one hand CR want us to dye our hair red and have fun, then show a child literally losing her life in front of our eyes. We our manipulated.
Had a similar thing with my DD a few years ago.

BurnTheBlackSuit · 25/03/2017 09:09

We watched a bit with our 8 year old and I wasn't too impressed tbh. Firstly with the content of the "comic" bits before 8pm- innuendo bingo?! That was appalling, not least because it wasn't funny, but also inappropriate for something that would be watched by thousands of children at that time in the evening. The bit with Suzanne Read wasn't funny either. Actually, I don't think there was anything genuinely funny the whole night.

The appeal clips were wrongly focused- the child dying from Malaria and the Ed Sheeran's bit- it was all about what was wrong and little about what the money would do to put it right. 30p buys a malaria testing kit. Well, great, but then what? The poor child would still die. Ed Sheeran was talking about putting the children into a hotel and a good school, but didn't say how this would be done or how it was sustainable. Terrible as the stories were, it didn't make me want to donate as I didn't know what my money would actually do.

Princess28 · 25/03/2017 09:09

Yanbu. My 6 year old was in floods of tears last night. I was letting him watch til 9. Words go over his head but watching the girl die was a step to far pre watershed. 6 year olds are full of hope they can change the world- they could have shown how the money raised helps people. Or- they could have said she had died. Watching her being wrapped in a blanket was too much. The same video on twitter has a warning of distressing content.

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