The Difference in Great Britain and the USA: Television

Greetings, ATS!

Well, I managed to put my back out Thursday and since them I've been laying in bed watching YouTube videos.

I stumbled across an episode of a television series called "Embarrassing Bodies" which is a BBT program. I assume its broadcast in the UK? Anyway, I watched the first episode and was amazed at what was shown.

The show focuses on helping people who have embarrassing health problems they are too ashamed to bring to their doctor. Skin abnormalities and the like. The doctors the offer advice on how to help the problem. It's a pretty interesting show.

What I find amazing is the fact that this show examines the genitalia of both sexes and shows it on camera. They showed a man's penis with lesions and a woman's vagina with a deformity. I was astounded. Did they really just show this on public television?

This would never be shown in the US, except possibly on late night cable tv. Personally, I see nothing wrong with the program at all; it's educational and there nothing erotic about the exams at all.

So this has me thinking. Why would this show be deemed inappropriate for the US? Are we more prudish than our friends across the pond? Is this the norm in Great Britain and other European countries?

What I find so ironic about this....we would never see a show like this in the US, but violent shows are okay. Isn't that twisted logic? Why is it acceptable to see violence and not something like this show?

I've noticed over the years that a movie with violence and adult language may get a PG-13 rating, while a movie with no violence but some nudity is rated R. What does this teach our children and our society? That violence is okay, but nudity and the love scenes between two people is not?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter, especially if you live in a different country. How does your country view violence and nudity in entertainment?"

Looking forward to your response!

smylee

To be honest you do have a variety of medical type programs that air on various channels. The shows do differ on content and topic. But I wouldn't be surprise there are various programs that would be greened lighted and popular in Britain. I wonder if there is different customs and laws from country to country that different programs are able to air certain scenes.

That astounded you? You should watch "The Sex Education Show", another British show.

Originally posted by SpearMint
That astounded you? You should watch "The Sex Education Show", another British show.

Yes, that's where I learned everything I ever wanted to know. Kidding. Anyway, cameras showing genitals seems to be the ultimate crime in America when it comes to the public allowing people to see them. You have to be 18 or 21 in order to know that people have bodies. And that the bodies sometimes move around.

Until society gets over its body hangup, we will continue to glorify death and mutilation in war, which is allowed to be shown on television in America (at least the initial explosions and the sound of gunfire). American movies glorify gangsters and exploding props and each-other-abuse. Just enjoy filming some good genitals for a change, and put down the squib.

Originally posted by SpearMint
That astounded you? You should watch "The Sex Education Show", another British show.

What astounded me is how differently our two cultures deal with sexual topics. I think it's fascinating and would like to know more.

If I may ask, how does your country determine what is too violent for tv? Are all sexual topics (I know a medical show isn't really about sex) shown during peak viewing times? Do children regularly watch violent content or sexual content?

Violence almost seems to be glorified here, to an extent. I know a lot of young children whose parents allow them to watch slasher movies, but would balk at a love scene in a movie. This seems almost backwards to me.

Until society gets over its body hangup, we will continue to glorify death and mutilation in war, which is allowed to be shown on television in America (at least the initial explosions and the sound of gunfire). American movies glorify gangsters and exploding props and each-other-abuse. Just enjoy filming some good genitals for a change, and put down the squib.

reply to post by Aleister


Exactly! Thank you for explaining this better thani I did.

Originally posted by smyleegrl

Originally posted by SpearMint
That astounded you? You should watch "The Sex Education Show", another British show.

What astounded me is how differently our two cultures deal with sexual topics. I think it's fascinating and would like to know more.

If I may ask, how does your country determine what is too violent for tv? Are all sexual topics (I know a medical show isn't really about sex) shown during peak viewing times? Do children regularly watch violent content or sexual content?

Violence almost seems to be glorified here, to an extent. I know a lot of young children whose parents allow them to watch slasher movies, but would balk at a love scene in a movie. This seems almost backwards to me.

I haven't lived in the UK for a while, but if I recall correctly things like that are only shown after 9 pm. I may be wrong, embarrassing bodies is purely medical so maybe it's on earlier. I think it's sad that the human body is taboo.

reply to post by smyleegrl

The show focuses on helping people who have embarrassing health problems they are too ashamed to bring to their doctor. Skin abnormalities and the like. The doctors the offer advice on how to help the problem. It's a pretty interesting show.

What puzzles me is, what makes people that are ashamed to go to a doctor, not ashamed to have that same problem televised onto millions of screens including screens of neighbours, friends, families and enemy's they will have to face later on.

So I yell to the wife in the kitchen... Dear, the p...y of miss smith is on the telle!

And then she goes - how do you know!

Originally posted by smyleegrl
If I may ask, how does your country determine what is too violent for tv? Are all sexual topics (I know a medical show isn't really about sex) shown during peak viewing times? Do children regularly watch violent content or sexual content?

Pretty much anything goes after 2100hrs....

Take the Spartacus series for example - shown in all it's glory here at 2200hrs on Sky 1, a premium channel, but I am sure it would either get heavily edited or shoved onto late night cable in the US. That show had full frontal nudity of both sexes, actual sex (both gay and straight) plus extreme bloody violence.... It was most excellent, indeed...

About the only thing that cannot be shown is an erect willy... If it flops about, that's cool, but a big erect schlong is still frowned upon....


EDIT: To add, I have since found out that from 2002, even a big, erect Penis is fine.....

They had something called the Mull of Kintyre test

Originally posted by SpearMint
I haven't lived in the UK for a while, but if I recall correctly things like that are only shown after 9 pm. I may be wrong, embarrassing bodies is purely medical so maybe it's on earlier. I think it's sad that the human body is taboo.

That show is on exactly at 2100hrs. It isn't so much about anything being taboo, it's about protecting younger children who may still be up... The "watershed", as it is called, was put in so people know when the good stuff is coming on and when to shove the youngun's off to bed.... If you have young children still up and watching after 2100hrs, then that's your fault...

you're dead right that the genitalia on embarassing bodies is not erotic

i skimmed past it whilst eating my tea once

it reminds me of that pic that was claimed to be of someone's pee-pee after weeing on an electric fence. i had to bathe my own in e45 all evening just in sympathy... looked like a sausage that fell in the fire and got left all night.

wtf would you show your wrecked johnson on the telly for?

What puzzles me is, what makes people that are ashamed to go to a doctor, not ashamed to have that same problem televised onto millions of screens including screens of neighbours, friends, families and enemy's they will have to face later on. So I yell to the wife in the kitchen... Dear, the p...y of miss smith is on the telle! And then she goes - how do you know!

reply to post by D.Wolf


I was curious about this, too. There must be some sort of compensation, although not necessarily money. Maybe they get free treatment? Most of the problems were considered cosmetic and healthcare wouldn't pay for it b

Take the Spartacus series for example - shown in all it's glory here at 2200hrs on Sky 1, a premium channel, but I am sure it would either get heavily edited or shoved onto late night cable in the US. That show had full frontal nudity of both sexes, actual sex (both gay and straight) plus extreme bloody violence.... It was most excellent, indeed...

reply to post by stumason


Late night premium channels will show similar movies, with violence, nudity, and sex. But it comes on late

Were also pretty laid back about profanity aswell, one that completely infuriates me about American TV show, they bleep swearing, I mean what the hell, ruined quite a few American shows doing that. But anyway go on youtube and search for The Thick of It, its a UK political satire about the labour government under Blair. Specificaly look for Malcolm Tucker lol. They aired this in America prior to airing VEEP [same creator] and bleeped it. Totaly destroyed the show.

reply to post by smyleegrl


Off topic, but just a point of clarity..

If something is "cosmetic" but it is deemed to be damaging to self-esteem or the general mental health of the patient, it can be done on the NHS....

I have always wandered why people put themselves on that show - I don't watch it myself, though.

reply to post by smyleegrl


Spartacus was a 4 season TV series on Prime time telly - I would recommend it if you can get hold of it. All other things aside, it is very historically accurate, even down to their grammar. You can learn stuff as well as see plentiful sexy ladies (or men - whatever floats your boat)....

Originally posted by stumason

Originally posted by SpearMint
I haven't lived in the UK for a while, but if I recall correctly things like that are only shown after 9 pm. I may be wrong, embarrassing bodies is purely medical so maybe it's on earlier. I think it's sad that the human body is taboo.

That show is on exactly at 2100hrs. It isn't so much about anything being taboo, it's about protecting younger children who may still be up... The "watershed", as it is called, was put in so people know when the good stuff is coming on and when to shove the youngun's off to bed.... If you have young children still up and watching after 2100hrs, then that's your fault...

Exactly, "protecting younger children", protecting them from what? I understand things of a sexual nature are inappropriate for younger children but I don't see why simply showing the naked body is. Everyone has one.

reply to post by SpearMint


It's the general rule... Programs on after 2100 are for adults - they may contain swearing, nudity or violence with no requirement to notify the viewer (although most do anyway as you get idiots out there who will write in to complain)

It's not so much "naked bodies is bad for kids", its just a "after 9 it's adult time - viewer beware". It is still entirely down to you if your kids watch it....

reply to post by stumason


i thoroughly enjoyed the various Spartacus series, particularly for their grammar and utterly superb profanity - which was gloriously unruined by bleeps and such

reply to post by smyleegrl

On the question of children watching, tradionally 9.00 p.m has been designated as "the watershed", before which time the more sexual content should not be shown. Though, of course, the assumption that children won't watch anything broadcast after that time is rather obsolete.

My thoughts on relative prudishness. As someone who has watched British television for a number of decades, it seems to me that the prudishness can simply just get re-directed.

I think there's been a slight swing back to prudishness, especially on the use of words, even since 2000.
For example, a sitcom episode dating back to that time used the word "effing" as a euphemism, and when this episode appears on a channel which devotes itself to repeats, the euphemism is duly blanked out.

The new version of prudishness now has an element of political correctness. On another sitcom, from the seventies, a character was predicitng that once North Sea oil got under production, the British would be able to "tell the Ayrabs to stuff it and can we please buy London back". The first part of this remark is a euphemism for an obscene action, the second part merely implies that the Ayrabs own London. I was bemused to find the the same channel blanked out the second part and left the first intact.

So it's not so much that the British are less prudish, more that the prudishness gets directed in different ways.