Rachel_Sandford
News Hound
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2011
- Messages
- 198
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
In 2006, probation worker and self-confessed quiz contestant addict, Simon Curtis, joined the long running BBC quiz show, Mastermind. After having a brilliant first round performance, Curtis fell incredibly short by scoring just one point on his 'specialist subject' on actor Jim Carey, which Curtis later admitted he “just plucked the topic out of the air.”
Having one of the lowest scores in the history of the programme, the performance earned him the nickname 'Disastermind' in his hometown of Castleford, West Yorkshire.
The story hasn't ended, however. Earlier this year, comedian David Walliams showed a clip of Curits' performance on his show, Awfully Good, which shows television that is “so truly, staggeringly compellingly bad it becomes awfully good.” As the clip of Curtis played, Walliams said: “Sometimes in life, you have to know your limitations...if you're not, let's say, very bright, it's probably not a good idea to go on a quiz show that tests your mental agility. And by not very bright I mean, astoundingly thick.”
Curtis took offense and complained to communications watchdog, Ofcom. In his complaint, Curtis claims he was treated unfairly by Walliams whose programme showed he was “of low intelligence.” He also said that Walliams failed to show his first few rounds or mention that he'd won £250,000 on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Also, the broadcaster failed to ask his permission to use the clip.
Channel 4, on which Awfully Good airs, issued a statement saying that what Walliams said was “not a literal assessment” and that viewers are “well aware that Mr. Curtis was above average IQ in order to appear on such a high profile show in the first place.” However, it did add that “This was the worst specialist subject performance ever seen on Mastermind.”
Ofcom echoed this sentiment by not upholding the complain. It announced that Channel 4 didn't need to ask Curtis' permission to use the clip, nor did it need to mention his quiz show successes. In its ruling the watchdog said: “We recognise that these comments carried the potential to be offensive and insulting to Mr. Curtis. However we took the view that it would have been clear to viewers from the beginning of the programme that Mr. Walliams—himself best known as a comedian—intended to provide humourous and light hearted opinion and comment on examples of past television clips.”
Ofcom added that what Walliams said was “not intended in any material way to be a serious examination of Mr. Curtis' character, intelligence or competence” and it “did not result in unfairness towards Mr. Curtis.”
With his complaint ignored, Simon Curtis can at least take comfort in the fact that he has not been the worst contestant on Mastermind. Last year's Kajen Thuraaisingham had the worst total score in the programme's 37 years of being on air, five points.
Having one of the lowest scores in the history of the programme, the performance earned him the nickname 'Disastermind' in his hometown of Castleford, West Yorkshire.
The story hasn't ended, however. Earlier this year, comedian David Walliams showed a clip of Curits' performance on his show, Awfully Good, which shows television that is “so truly, staggeringly compellingly bad it becomes awfully good.” As the clip of Curtis played, Walliams said: “Sometimes in life, you have to know your limitations...if you're not, let's say, very bright, it's probably not a good idea to go on a quiz show that tests your mental agility. And by not very bright I mean, astoundingly thick.”
Curtis took offense and complained to communications watchdog, Ofcom. In his complaint, Curtis claims he was treated unfairly by Walliams whose programme showed he was “of low intelligence.” He also said that Walliams failed to show his first few rounds or mention that he'd won £250,000 on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Also, the broadcaster failed to ask his permission to use the clip.
Channel 4, on which Awfully Good airs, issued a statement saying that what Walliams said was “not a literal assessment” and that viewers are “well aware that Mr. Curtis was above average IQ in order to appear on such a high profile show in the first place.” However, it did add that “This was the worst specialist subject performance ever seen on Mastermind.”
Ofcom echoed this sentiment by not upholding the complain. It announced that Channel 4 didn't need to ask Curtis' permission to use the clip, nor did it need to mention his quiz show successes. In its ruling the watchdog said: “We recognise that these comments carried the potential to be offensive and insulting to Mr. Curtis. However we took the view that it would have been clear to viewers from the beginning of the programme that Mr. Walliams—himself best known as a comedian—intended to provide humourous and light hearted opinion and comment on examples of past television clips.”
Ofcom added that what Walliams said was “not intended in any material way to be a serious examination of Mr. Curtis' character, intelligence or competence” and it “did not result in unfairness towards Mr. Curtis.”
With his complaint ignored, Simon Curtis can at least take comfort in the fact that he has not been the worst contestant on Mastermind. Last year's Kajen Thuraaisingham had the worst total score in the programme's 37 years of being on air, five points.