NewsBiscuit

The BBC has been praised for its policy of getting comedienne Kathy Lette to comment on the important issues of the day using puns mainly related to female genitalia. The Australian author of such books as ‘Foetal Attraction’ and ‘To Love Honour and Betray’, is a regular panellist on programmes such as Question Time and Breakfast TV where she has made the ‘speaking as a woman’ slot very much her own.

‘I struggled to understand the historical context of the current crisis in Gaza’ said one Question Time viewer. ‘But when Kathy Lette said ‘All these wars are caused by sexually frustrated male politicians who know more about Libya than labia!’ well, I was finally enlightened. ‘I had thought it went back to the Balfour declaration and then Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948 followed by four Arab-Israeli wars, but apparently its all because ‘Men these days take more interest in the Volvo than the vulva!’

Lette’s puns, often lifted from her books, have been deployed incredibly successfully on nearly every current affairs programme and BBC producers say that it is the very versatility of Kathy’s wordplay that makes her such a safe booking. Her revelation that ‘Men are guilty of facial prejudice’ has been used to illuminate discussions on racism, sexism, ageism and the rise in plastic surgery. ‘The great advantage of having Kathy Lette on any show is that you know exactly what you’re going to get,’ said one producer; ‘a steady delivery of slightly risque puns, crow-barred into the required news context. You know, like ‘men are more interested in the Tories, than the cli-tories!’ Priceless!’

Rumours that Kathy Lette may have been contributing to the speeches of the Queen were heightened this week when Her Majesty spoke to a visiting delegation of Commonwealth ambassadors. ‘Philip is now so old that the only thing keeping him going is remembering all those topless tribal dances,’ she told them. ‘He says, ‘Thanks for the mammaries!’

Posted: Apr 22nd, 2009 by StoopyDeGunt