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Original poster

What are fishies? Channel 4 Big Fat Quiz of the Year

247 replies

Procrastinator2 · 26/12/2019 23:40

Just that. A question on the Big Fat Quiz of the Year posed by drag queens, what are fishies.

Programme presented by Jimmy Carr. Participants Noel Fielding, someone who does the BA security videos, @AsimC86, Roisin Conaty, Maya Jama, MTV presenter and former girlfriend of Stormzy, Richard Ayoade and Dara O'Briain.
It would not be acceptable for any other group of people to be named accordingly to the supposed smell of their genitals, but it's ok when it comes to women, channel 4.

OP posts:
jcurve · 02/01/2020 15:42

Same C4 response here. It’s all a bit patronising, isn’t it?

HandsOffMyRights · 02/01/2020 15:47

Yes. On another thread about whether men understand women's fears about personal safety when out walking alone etc, Isabelle calls it:

Society doesn't care enough about women's feelings

Now 'aint that the truth!

NextdoorNeighbourIsATwat · 02/01/2020 16:11

I had exactly the same response. So that's me told.

RebeccaCloud9 · 02/01/2020 16:14

I got the same shitty, patronising response.

Justhadathought · 02/01/2020 16:28

I got precisely the same response (and I hadn’t mentioned the watershed) so I suspect it is a standard response sent to a group of viewers who had complained.I agree that the response completely misses the point about the horrible misogyny

Yes it is a standard response....time to escalate to stage two - which some already have done -and that is by taking your reference number ( of your complaint) to OFCOM. There is a link to the appropriate form of the channel 4 web page.

RoyalCorgi · 02/01/2020 16:36

If the complaint had been about racism or homophobia, they wouldn't have tried fobbing people off with guff about "poor taste". The point is not that it's poor taste but that it's misogynistic.

Hairybauble · 02/01/2020 16:41

I got the same response too. It's not acceptable. It's not that it's in poor taste or that the humour was "too edgy" (I'm a retired stand up comedian ffs), it's that they on air said that women are defined as smelling of fish.

Can you imagine if they had said gay men smelled of poo or Asians of curry?

What's the next step in complaining to Channel 4? Have already complained to Ofcom.

NextdoorNeighbourIsATwat · 02/01/2020 17:05

Hairy, I gave near enough those examples to OfCom to try to make them understand. Imagine how horrifying it would be if they called Indian people 'curries', etc. Cant imagine c4 broadcasting that.

MorbidMuch · 02/01/2020 17:19

Same response for me too, unsurprisingly. There's not even a flicker of acknowledgement that they were in the wrong. Stark contrast to the apologies put forward by the two drag performers.

NextdoorNeighbourIsATwat · 02/01/2020 17:25

I've written back to tell them that their response was dismissive and I'll therefore be taking my complaint to OfCom. They probably don't care.

MonsteraCheeseplant · 02/01/2020 18:23

I got the stock response too. Have just now escalated to Ofcom.

S0upertrooper · 02/01/2020 19:00

I watched this and was disgusted by the 'fishy' comments. I'm going to complain to C4 and OFCOM but I watched it abroad on catch up so don't know the correct date and time of the original broadcast. Can anyone help please?

GeriAtric · 02/01/2020 19:11

Maybe one of us should complain due to it being transphobic and see if C4 respond differently.

Strongmummy · 02/01/2020 19:15

Why are you watching that show?!?! It’s shit.

In answer to your question, despite enjoying drag I hate it when drag queens disrespect their muses, ie women. It’s offensive. This is why i find Grayson Perry obnoxious. How he thinks it’s ok to parody young girls smacks of Male privilege

Thesuzle · 02/01/2020 19:18

Any show with Jimmy Carr in it is vile, sexist, puerile rubbish

fridgegrazer · 02/01/2020 19:28

Got the same generic response - so adult humour and misogynistic humour are the same thing now are they?

Have complained to Ofcom.

Justhadathought · 02/01/2020 19:29

What's the next step in complaining to Channel 4? Have already complained to Ofcom

That is the next step...unlike the BBBC there does not seem to be a facility for furthering the complaint with Channel 4 itself. I responded further myself, though, to the initial paltry response...just so my unhappiness with that response is registered.

Justhadathought · 02/01/2020 19:33

This is why i find Grayson Perry obnoxious. How he thinks it’s ok to parody young girls smacks of Male privilege

Just read a memoir by him.....at least he is honest about his proclivities....and doesn't use degrading language. I'm not offended by his being a tranny myself.....although am a bit weirded out by the whole business.

Strongmummy · 02/01/2020 19:37

@justhadathought interesting and yes I’ve never heard him be disrespectful. However, why the parody? I can’t get away from that. It’s distasteful. If he wants to celebrate women then fine, but why dress as a nightmarish 10 year old. Does he explain that in the book?

Justhadathought · 02/01/2020 20:02

Why dress as a nightmarish 10 year old

'Claire' is a little girl..she is supposed to be about 4 years old....

He says:

"The sole aim of a transvestite is that he usually wants is the same attention a woman would get. I search out the attention a girl would receive. If you dress as a woman, you hope to pass as a woman. Dressing up as a young girl shifts the process from authentic to symbolic because it is impossible for a man to look convincing as a little girl"

He says he wants to be treated like a little girl and "handled with care". He says that little girls 'just have to be', and 'look gorgeous', and people will say " oh what a beautiful dress'.

He suffered some childhood loss and trauma at around the age of 4, and his step father was violent. He lived in an imaginary world for much of his childhood.

Justhadathought · 02/01/2020 20:03

What he usually wants is the same attention

Strongmummy · 02/01/2020 20:06

@justhadathought , thank you for this. Just confirms my thoughts on his privilege. An adult male has no business deciding/speculating/condoning how a 4 year old (or any age girl/woman) should be treated. He needs to Get therapy and move on ffs

Justhadathought · 02/01/2020 20:12

He needs to Get therapy and move on ffs

It seems he has to some extent.But that is through the process of being a famous cross dresser. It no longer holds the same charge. He purposefully creates extreme costumes because he doesn't intend for it to resemble reality, as such.

I don't have a problem with his 'acts' to be honest.....it is clear to me that they have acted as a safety valve throughout his life......It wouuld be interesting to get his wife's take on it.

HandsOffMyRights · 02/01/2020 20:34

S0uper

It aired Boxing Day, Channel 4 9pm.

I had already complained to Ofcom before I got this C4 reply.

They end the email with 'Thank you again for taking the time to contact us. We appreciate all feedback from our viewers; complimentary or otherwise.'

Appreciate men, depreciate women.

littlecabbage · 02/01/2020 20:51

I’ve just submitted my complaint to Ofcom. As I said on another thread today, one of my NY resolutions is to speak out against sexism whenever and wherever I see it, however seemingly “trivial” to some people.