Disgusting David Mitchell

[Beeziekn33ze]

Listening to Radio 4 at 12:00 today. Programme called The Unbelievable Truth, panellists trying to get 3 truths mixed with ridiculous lies past each other. At the end DM,who has always appeared benign, says which are which. One 'truth' was that wolf packs are lead by the chief sexual predator, fine. Then the foul mouthed fool added 'so are cubs' and by the sound of it a panellist or three tittered.
What a nasty double meaning. Yuk, yuk and yuk.
How dare he insult Scout and Cub leaders who have put up with enough? They are voluntary and give their time to making it possible for kids to have out of school activities and learn first aid and other useful skills.
I hope the BBC make him apologise loud and clear. A money contribution would be good too. Or could he be sued for slander.
I'm upset that a man like that makes grubby fun of people willing to help kids on a regular basis.

I was walking through Hampstead once and walked right past him, I took a double take and he couldn't move off quick enough to avoid any conversation

I thought a sexual predator was far more likely to be a family member than a cub leader.
Anyway it was a joke, probably scripted by someone else.

That is a witty play on words

Oh my god... get a grip. There's some things out there worth being offended by, this isn't one of them.

I don't class it as offensive. And I don't class it as funny. The show - like most of R4 'comedy' is about as funny as toothache. I loved DM on Peep Show, but can't stand him now as he comes across as insufferably smug.

I'm a scout leader. And a teacher. And a Catholic, for that matter!

It's just a joke. It could possibly be described as 'in poor taste' but that's because it minimises sexual abuse, not because it pokes fun at the scouts.

As a PP said, all the decent scout leaders I know are more disgusted that children have been abused by members of our organisation than by a cheap shot from a comedian.

Everyone knows, I'm sure, that most cub/scout leaders are just good people trying to help the community.

Satire looks at the darker side of life and tries to make light. It's an important coping mechanism for some people...a kind of 'laugh or cry' situation. Because we could cry every day for the children who are abused by a range of different people, not just cub leaders. But that wouldn't help them. So we laugh at a cheap joke and get on with doing our best to improve things.

Dark humour isn't for everyone. But there's no need to be offended on others' behalf.

I think the programme may have been a little too adult for you. I suggest you find another radio programme to listen to.

YABU

If no scout leader had ever been guilty of grooming or abuse, the joke would never have been made.

DM is great. Love the Unbelievable Truth and Would I lie to you. Occasionally watch DM rants on You Tube - he's so funny.

So glad you're just getting your knickers in a wedge over nothing

Satire is inherently tasteless.

You've been given a grip and a set of step ladders already. Can I give you a hang glider to come down from that high moral ground you're standing on?

David Mitchell doesn't write the script, he just reads it. The chairman's script is written by Dan Gaster - be angry with him if anyone.

I'm upset that a man like that makes grubby fun of people willing to help kids on a regular basis

But hes not making fun of the 99.99999999% of hard working voluenteers men and women that give uo their time and put in the effort. And THEY KNOW IT.

Hes as some one has pointed out shining a light on an uncomfortable truth, cub leaders have got convicted of being errm very erm unsavory characters and i'm putting it like that because op i think your clearly to sensitive for tje truth. Like i said 99.99999999%of scout leaders are great people who really do give up their tome effort and often money for the scouting organsation and the children. Sadly theres a few that use that postion to abuse the postion the prganisation and the boys themselves. Its those people david, or his script writer Dan Gaster, are making fun of.

And that oeads me an to another point, ther always say at the end of the progrqmme chairmans script written by colin swash and dan gaster, ITS A SCRIPT writen for comedic purposes. Also foul mouthed? Doesnt foul mouthed normally refer to expletives what did he say "wolves are fucking cunts lead by a fuck wit sexual preditor so are the cunting cubs" if he did then yep he was being foul mouted but i doubt thag got broadcast on bbc radio four especially at 6 o clock on monday evening which is when this show would gave been orginally broadcast.

As for the bbc condemning it, its not a live show, the script would have been read the recording listened to in the editing process i think its safe to say the bbc think it was fine as a piece of satire. Which 99.99999% of thd listeners will have thought as well.

Or could he be sued for slander.

For that to be the case, it would have to be provably untrue. History has taught us sadly it is not.

I love the sharp wit of the joke...very clever!

I save my “disgust” for the actual criminals, rather than comedians making jokes about them 😉

Are youu by any chance involved with cubs op?

I'd really stop listening to adult programmes if you're so ostentatiously sensitive.
At the end he said it was the 'last ever', hopefully that was one of the Unbelievable Truths!

I think that was because Henning Wehn broke the format!

@tillytrotter1 The continuity announcer on today's repeat said not to worry as there would be another series.

In the past paedophiles in the guise of charity/voluntary workers in organisation that allowed them access to children were swept under the carpet and any talk and suspicions silenced - that's how there were so many victims who knew they would not be believed if they came forward.
Now we have an open society where people can comment on the fact that a lot of paedophiles try to hide themselves behind voluntary work, where we can talk about Catholic priests and scout leaders abusing their positions of authroity and harming children.
Good for DN for making a comment on it - if it's funny (which is was) it shows how far we have come that we can openly deride these people.
If it hadn't been funny or people didn't find it do, then at least it got people talking - and the more these matters become matters for discussion rather than completely taboo the more chance we have of keeping children safe.
Even if the discussion is only on the level of OP's 'disgusted of Tunbridge Wells' that is better than silence and secrecy.

And obviously he wasn't implying all cub leaders are peados - neither was he foul mouthed. Comedians are in the job they are because they dare to say the things everyone else is thinking but don't say for fear of upsetting a few people.

Are you coming back OP.

I find David Mitchell very funny, he has a gentle, witty and intelligent sense of humour.

If I want to be offended (which I don't) I listen to Jimmy Carr. Now he really is a cunt.

When I was in Scouts one of the lads was encouraged to strip down to a g-string to feed grapes to the female Leader at a campfire. In retrospect I can see how this could have been misconstrued(*).

(*) In actuality it was feckin' creepy at the time. The Scout concerned loved the idea that he was considered special by the leader and would do pretty much anything she asked. I was quite glad that I wasn't in her coterie and she left soon after.

@tillytrotter1 The continuity announcer on today's repeat said not to worry as there would be another series.

Missed that, thanks, I'll sleep better, it's one of my favourite programmes!

There’s been enough Cub Scout leaders prosecuted for sexual abuse of kids! Get over yourself op, it’s not like DM made an remark that is so far removed from the truth. Scout leader, akin to being a catholic priest in lots of people eyes. I wonder why such a throwaway remark has caused you so much angst.

Ahh @ thinking it's all in the past.