You are on a slippery slope with banana jokes - surely it is racist.

I want to address this point about 'mental health', where suddenly ITV care or even the media in general care about this.

Britain's got talent and X Factor are two shows where the early auditions have many examples of people clearly desperate for any kind of TV opportunity and very bad at whatever act they have.

For donkey's years this has been a 'wink wink' opportunity to laugh at those who aren't all there....an updated slightly nicer form of mocking the village idiot.

I found it distasteful from the start.

If others think it's a harmless bit of fun then I get that but it wasn't for me.

However, when I suddenly hear about high ups caring about mental health.....when they work in an industry that exploits on steroids from the start.....I'm just struck by the incredible deceit and dishonesty of it all.

'I can't stand innuendo. If I see one in a script I whip it out immediately.' (Kenneth Williams)

That Sir is a very valid point indeed!!
People forget the past when they spout some of this crap.
I remember meeting a Producer of Big Brother not long after it started - they said they looked for the most fragile people with issues to put on the show as that would make the best TV for ratings.
They didn't give a jot about the mental health of the participants.

I've no idea how some of you find these clips, but Stirl, this guy's rant is a classic.

Yep, big brother is a good case in point, the first season probably had the most stable people in it....after that the producers were as naked in intent as anyone on what they were looking for...and mentally stable wasn't it.

'I can't stand innuendo. If I see one in a script I whip it out immediately.' (Kenneth Williams)

There will be plenty of takers after the last year. I like the idea of a Royal Big Brother, that would be a great one off special, with Andy humping anything he could find in the background and Meghan sitting in a corner shouting racist every 5 minutes. Potentially great tv.