Whitehouse Reborn?

KENILWORTH, 28 APRIL 2003 — Jonathan Edwards, the Olympic gold medallist, and prominent evangelical Christian, has been appointed as England’s representative on the content board of Ofcom, the new media regulatory body. The content board will advise the new authority on the content of TV programmes – particularly on taste and decency.

“Mr Edwards brings with him a heavy religious agenda”, said George Broadhead, secretary of the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA). “We don’t see how he is going to be able to judge controversial programmes fairly if he decides that they have to conform to the Christian values that he has said he brings to every area of his life. We fear that Mary Whitehouse may have been reborn – but this time with real power to impose censorship rather than just demand it. We wonder how gay images on TV will fare under Mr Edwards’ evangelical gaze.”

Jonathan Edwards has been prominent in Christian circles since he refused to train for the Olympics on a Sunday. Now he presents Songs of Praise on BBC1.

George Broadhead added: “Christian organisations are always in the front line of organised complaints to the existing regulatory bodies, such as the Broadcasting Standards Council and the Independent Television Commission (which Ofcom replaces). Whenever there is any attempt at ‘controversial’ portrayals of gay people, such as the gay kiss in the BBC’s Casualty, these bodies are flooded with complaints from Christians. In the past the bodies have dealt fairly with such complaints, often rejecting them. But now that Mr Edwards is on the board, we think they will get a much more sympathetic hearing.”