Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Russel Howard & the Ramp joke

70 replies

LittleMissBirdy · 13/11/2019 20:54

Just seen on the news Russell Howard made a joke about the council who build a ridiculous ramp for a disabled child outside their home.

He was not making a joke about the girl or her parents he was making a joke about the ramp the council built.

FWIW it does sound ridiculous they build that for 40k.

My question is, is this an overreaction?

My personal opinion is that it is an overreaction he wasn’t saying anything funny about the girl more about the council

Your thoughts?

OP posts:
PrincessPain · 14/11/2019 05:28

I've watched Russel Howard for a long time now, both his arena stand up DVD shows, when he is in the panel of comedy shows and his own news shows he has done, he is always inclusive of others and highlights the struggles of people by using his comedy.
His leaving moment on that section was about making disabled access better around the country.
Not sure how you can take offence, hes used the same story the Mum has used to highlight the shit access disabled people have to deal with on a daily basis.

Cloverbeauty · 14/11/2019 05:28

Yeah I wasnt quite sure why she was complaining. He wasnt making fun of her daughter, he was mocking the council and calling them idiots, which they are. If anything he was standing up for her daughter.

Alicewond · 14/11/2019 05:29

I saw this on his show years ago, how is it news now? Plus it’s joking about the councils inadequate response to the disability in question. He always speaks out pro disability. The fact that the mother is now not accepting comments shows she’s had her pay day for this moment of fame

Squigean · 14/11/2019 06:01

Looks like a ramp for crowd control. Like the sort you get in a busy amusement park.

Madness!! Also wouldn't it be a issue for emergency exit from the house? It's got to have increased the acesses time considerable.

CactusAndCacti · 14/11/2019 06:24

A ramp needs to be a 1:12/1:15 with a 1m X 1m landing platform for every 5m of ramp/ turn. This is how it ends up so big.

Metal ramps are never decorative, a brick/concrete would have cost a lot more. I am not sure what his criticism was actually in regards to, but it does show that sometimes providing safe wheelchair access is not always straight forward.

StreetwiseHercules · 14/11/2019 06:36

If anyone is “offended” then that is their fault. It takes a mean spirit or lack of intellect not to understand the joke in its context.

Also, people don’t get to choose whether the outside of their house is on TV, especially if it has already been pictured in newspapers.

Move on.

Ohyesiam · 14/11/2019 06:40

Is what an over reaction?

adaline · 14/11/2019 06:43

This is the beginning to what the mother said so it's pretty clear he didn't ask permission and she explained why she is not happy.

The mother has been in the papers about this at least twice already. There have been several articles published where she criticised the ramp and its cost/placement and said it was ridiculous. A photo also did the rounds on Facebook a while ago.

Russell doesn't need to ask anyone's permission when they went to the papers about the problem themselves in the first place Hmm

recrudesence · 14/11/2019 06:44

Out of interest, is a better design possible that conforms to building regulations? I’m assuming, for whatever reason, a lift has been ruled out.

ChachyFace · 14/11/2019 06:47

Jokes aren't usually funny when you're the butt of them.
Of course it's not just mocking the council.

Lilyflower1 · 14/11/2019 07:00

The whole council need sacking for this excrescence and outrage of a ramp. Useless, ugly and a waste of taxpayers’ money. Good on Russell Howard for raising the matter. I hope the poor child has her needs better served than this and that the neighbourhood loses what will devalue their homes and be a laughing stock.

StreetwiseHercules · 14/11/2019 07:02

“ Of course it's not just mocking the council.”

Yes, you’re right of course. It’s really Russell Howard trying to exploit a child’s disability for lols. 🙄

SoupDragon · 14/11/2019 07:07

The mother has been in the papers about this at least twice already.

Five years ago. Dragging it up again is ridiculous. She's probably trying to "forget" about it all. Drawing attention to it again given they apparently have trouble with skateboarders is unfair.

Russell doesn't need to ask anyone's permission

A previous poster suggested that he had (or rather said that we didn't know that he hadn't) I was answering that point.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 14/11/2019 07:08

The image was already out in the public domain. Shared by the woman who lives there.

RHS bit on this topic was in no way offensive at all towards the residents, he daughter or any people with disabilities.

DGRossetti · 14/11/2019 07:08

Out of interest, is a better design possible that conforms to building regulations?

That is the design that conforms to building regs. You can't have more than a certain gradient, and every turn of gradient needs a level area to be able to rest and be stable before the next slope.

I’m assuming, for whatever reason, a lift has been ruled out.

Quite aside from the fact it could easily cost more than the house is worth (you have to ask why an accessible property isn't available AngryAngryAngryAngryAngry) it would be a vandal magnet. Much like the one our local library had until some scumbags decided it was too nice a feature SadAngry

SoupDragon · 14/11/2019 07:09

It’s really Russell Howard trying to exploit a child’s disability for lols.

No, but it is ridiculing her home. People aren't pointing and laughing at the council are they?

SoupDragon · 14/11/2019 07:11

If he'd done this when it was all "in th endows" 5 years ago, it would have been very different. Dragging it up again now? Why would you do that?

I agree that for such a steep slope up to the door, this was probably the only option. Have other possibilities (bar a lift) been put forward?

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 14/11/2019 07:11

you have to ask why an accessible property isn't available

It likely was but many people don't want to move having spent years and £s improving their home and becoming part of the community. She may not want to move 5 miles away or whatever the options were.

PickAChew · 14/11/2019 07:15

It might be necessary for access but the mum did point out when she went to the papers that this was the house the council had provided her with. Presumably more accessible houses would have been available?

Areyoufree · 14/11/2019 07:23

He's not being unreasonable for making the joke, but neither are the family being unreasonable for being upset about it. I hate this idea that there is some abstract concept of "offensive" decided by a random majority, that allows / does not allow people to feel hurt by something.

Nanny0gg · 14/11/2019 07:44

The whole skit was about how difficult life is here for people with disabilities and this was a prime example.
It's the council's fault, not the mother's so I don't think he was wrong, especially ad it's been in the press before

Beveren · 14/11/2019 07:53

I suspect this is a classic case of the Mail winding up the mother to say things she doesn't intend and then massively exaggerating it. The likely scenario is that the reporter contacted the mother out of the blue and told her Howard was making fun of the ramp and her daughter, and then asked very leading questions like "You must feel really upset about this" to get the quotes he wanted. And of course many of the quotes will be completely made up anyway.

Fakeflowersaremynewnormal · 14/11/2019 07:57

Beveren that could well be the case.

Pinkblueberry · 14/11/2019 08:00

He was obviously mocking the council, and throughout that sketch making very important points about how the level of access for disabled people in general is pretty poor and at times, as shown, ridiculous. It really pisses me off to be honest when people twist things that others say to take offence.

endofthelinefinally · 14/11/2019 08:01

I remember the original story of this ramp. The mother had asked for a very simple lift. The council refused and built the large, expensive, complicated ramp instead.
The story was in the papers at the time.