Watchdog slams TV films

Modern films contain so much foul language that a watchdog counted the use of the f-word 1,429 times in just 60 films shown on TV this year.

The four-letter deluge also included 827 uses of the word s*** and its derivatives, as well as 221 exclamations of Jesus or Christ.

Research has shown that blasphemy offends just as many viewers as profanity.

But it is the explosion of the use of f*** - and variations on it - that most alarmed the watchdog, which said that the use of bad language was so common in modern day Hollywood blockbusters that many considered it normal in everyday conversation.

Researchers looked at 60 films shown on the five terrestrial channels in the first six months of this year. All but one began after the 9pm watershed and all but one had been shown previously.

The selection included Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning film Raging Bull, the comedy City Slickers, Body Heat and Pretty Woman.

Some films contributed more to the f-word count that others.

While there were only two in Julia Roberts's Sleeping With The Enemy, there were 212 in gangster flick Goodfellas - again by Scorsese.

Despite its violence, there was only one usage of f*** in Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry, but 197 in Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs.

S*** was used just three times in Fatal Attraction but 53 times in Woody Harrelson's White Men Can't Jump, and 62 times in Bad Boys. The words Jesus and Christ were also looked at because both the BBC and ITV networks' code of conduct particularly mention how these and other holy names can offend viewers when used in the wrong way.

John Beyer - director for the TV watchdog organisation Mediawatch UK, which compiled the research - said that film and TV contributed to the use of four-letter words in general conversation. Even Greg Rusedski's swearing in his match at Wimbledon - picked up live television in middle of the day - contributed to the word's common usage.

He said: "The present level of obscene, abusive and insulting language on television is unacceptable and out of step with public expectations as established by the regulators in their own research.

"We therefore call upon the broadcasters to take immediate meaningful steps to substantially reduce the volume of swearing and profanity in television programmes."