Channel 4 News: 'Blue movies' and 'roughed up'

This evening's Channel 4 News made me laugh twice with its choices of words.

Firstly, it referred to Home Secretary Jacqui Smith's husband Richard Timney as having claimed two "blue movies" on expenses. Pornographic movies (or films) possibly, even adult movies at a pinch - but blue movies? Very tabloidese.

Secondly, it said that one of the militants involved in the siege of the police academy in Lahore had been "roughed up" by police after they captured him. Rather euphemistic, I feel.

Admittedly, Channel 4 News isn't the only source to use the phrase 'blue movies' in relation to the Jacqui Smith farce. I can't find any other examples of 'roughed up' relating to the police academy siege, though.

I can't shake off Embarrassing Illnesses

I mentioned on Friday that last week was the most popular in the blog's history for an 'embarrassing' reason. Here's why.

Back in January one of our regular contributors emailed us about an advert she had spotted on her work intranet regarding an upcoming Channel 4 TV show called 'Embarrassing Illnesses'. I then wrote about this on the blog – and as well as mocking the central premise of the show, I also pointed out that the intranet advert at one point spelt the word 'embarrassing' with one 'r'. As I wrote at the time, everyone makes spelling mistakes, but come on – the word 'embarrassing' was in the name of the show...

So far, so ordinary. But on Monday last week, Channel 4 aired the first episode in the series (now going by the title 'Embarrassing Bodies') and the blog started receiving hundreds of hits from people Googling 'embarassing illnesses channel 4'. Note the single 'r'.

How ironic – by blogging about misspellings I attract people to the blog who can't spell.

Channel 4: Embarrassing Illnesses

One of our contributors has e-mailed in the following ad spotted on her work intranet:

Channel 4’s Embarrassing Illnesses are doing a series of shows including a programme focussing on men's health.

They are interested in hearing from men who find discussing issues with their doctors embarassing.

If selected, your condition will be treated by professionals and you will receive top quality surgery and treatment. Your involvement will raise awareness about your condition, helping other sufferers to seek the treatment they need.

Please contact [details withheld]

So... you are a man who has an embarrassing illness. You find discussing this issue – or perhaps all issues – with your doctor also embarrassing. So what do you do? Volunteer to take your illness on national television of course. That's much less embarrassing.

(I also like the way that 'embarrassing' is spelt wrongly in the second par. Everyone makes spelling mistakes, but the show is called 'Embarrassing Illnesses' for goodness' sake...)

Fat's the way to do it

I don't know if you saw last night's Channel 4 programme Fat Man's Warning, but I was amused when the voiceover described morbidly obese American Steve Daly as a "victim of fast food". I would have thought anyone who regularly ate 12 soft-shell tacos in one sitting was more an "abuser of fast food"... But it is a good example of how value judgements hide in language. After all, one man's insurgent is another man's freedom fighter.

Daly also had a good turn of phrase, describing Blackpool as "the shiny toy in the Happy Meal of England"...