Wank Week
Encyclopedia
Wank Week was a controversial season of television
programming that was due to be broadcast in the United Kingdom by Channel 4
, expected to consist of a series of three documentary programmes about masturbation
. However, plans to broadcast it in March 2007 came under public attack from senior television figures, and the planned broadcasts were pulled amid claims of declining editorial standards and controversy over the channel's public service broadcasting
credentials. While Wank Week itself has been cancelled, the films it was meant to showcase may yet be broadcast by the channel at a later date.
article. He continued on the subject of Wank Week, "we feel this is exactly the type of provocative and mischievous programming that Channel 4 should be covering in the 11pm slot" In the United Kingdom, the 11pm slot is considered post-watershed
, defined by the regulator Ofcom
in the Broadcasting Code as later than 9pm (although transition to more adult material "must not be unduly abrupt at the watershed or after the time when children are particularly likely to be listening" according to section 1.6). This allows the broadcasting of more sexually explicit content.
The first show to be announced centred on a Masturbate-a-thon
held in Clerkenwell
, London
in August 2006. This was a public mass masturbation event organised to raise money for the sexual health charity Marie Stopes International
. A press release from Zig-Zag, the independent production company
behind the recording of the event, promised that the film would reveal "if the only things allowed to be stiff in Britain are upper lips
". The programme's working title
was Wank-a-thon.
A week later, plans for an as yet unnamed second documentary about compulsive male masturbators were announced, to be produced by the independent company Spun Gold. The film was to be an hour long and focus on men trying to cut down excessive masturbatory habits of up to twenty times a day, using methods developed in the United States. In September 2006, the final film in the series was announced. Entitled Masturbation For Girls, it was also to be produced by Spun Gold, and focus on female masturbation. It was to feature the sex education
alist Dr Betty Dodson
, although the format had yet not been finalised. It was reported after the postponement of their airing that the second and third films were to be entitled I Can't Stop Wanking and Masturbation for Women respectively.
on 25 August, only a month after Channel 4's initial announcement. Charles Allen, the outgoing Chief Executive of Channel 4's commercial rival ITV
, attacked Channel 4 for deterioration of output and adopting a "begging" approach to finances in the run-up to terrestrial digital switchover (requesting subsidies for public service output while pursuing a path of commercialism). Wank Week's mention came as part of a critique of programming that Channel 4 was counting towards its "educational" content. Allen joked that he was expecting Wank Week to be included, "but that could be a hard one to pull off even for Channel 4." The pun was subsequently repeated in the press.
Criticisms of Wank Week were echoed later in 2006 by Sir Jeremy Isaacs
, the first Chief Executive of Channel 4, in an article for Prospect magazine. Isaacs argued that Channel 4's increased commercialisation led to a targeting of the 16-34 year old audience, and the subsequent "obsession with adolescent transgression and sex" could be seen in programming such as Designer Vaginas, The World's Biggest Penis and Wank Week.
Although these public attacks led to reports of concern in Channel 4 management, postponement of Wank Week did not take place until early February 2007, only a month before its planned screening. There had been a major racism controversy
during January's Celebrity Big Brother
contest, and the launch of Wank Week raised the prospect of further embarrassment at a critical time: Ofcom
was reviewing the channel's finances ahead of the digital switchover, with the continued nature of Channel 4's existence as a state-owned but advertisement-funded
public service broadcaster at stake. Broadcast magazine reported that several senior figures at Channel 4 had felt uncomfortable about Wank Week, including deputy chairman David Puttnam
and chairman Luke Johnson
, although they had originally not intended to formally object. The atmosphere following the Celebrity Big Brother racism row was suggested to have influenced the decision.
According to the media section of The Guardian
, the films commissioned for Wank Week are likely to be broadcast at a later date, but probably not as part of a dedicated season of programming, and certainly not under the Wank Week banner. Dan Wootton, senior reporter at Broadcast, criticised the decision, calling it "wimpy". Contrasting it with the way that Channel 4 executives had been prepared to defend Celebrity Big Brother, he concluded they had acted hypocritically
.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
programming that was due to be broadcast in the United Kingdom by Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, expected to consist of a series of three documentary programmes about masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
. However, plans to broadcast it in March 2007 came under public attack from senior television figures, and the planned broadcasts were pulled amid claims of declining editorial standards and controversy over the channel's public service broadcasting
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
credentials. While Wank Week itself has been cancelled, the films it was meant to showcase may yet be broadcast by the channel at a later date.
Commissioning and programming
The season was commissioned by Andrew MacKenzie, the channel's factual entertainment commissioning editor, and announced in July 2006. It was to consist of three films broadcast in the 11pm slot, headlined by a documentary on mass public masturbation. This kind of programming was not unprecedented: the Channel had previously screened a 'Penis Week', reportedly described by MacKenzie as a "success" in a GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
article. He continued on the subject of Wank Week, "we feel this is exactly the type of provocative and mischievous programming that Channel 4 should be covering in the 11pm slot" In the United Kingdom, the 11pm slot is considered post-watershed
Watershed (television)
In television, the term watershed denotes the time period in a television schedule during which programs with adult content can air....
, defined by the regulator Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
in the Broadcasting Code as later than 9pm (although transition to more adult material "must not be unduly abrupt at the watershed or after the time when children are particularly likely to be listening" according to section 1.6). This allows the broadcasting of more sexually explicit content.
Masturbate-a-thon
The Masturbate-a-thon is an event in which participants masturbate in order to raise money for charity and increase the public awareness and dispel the shame and taboos that exist about this form of sexual activity...
held in Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in August 2006. This was a public mass masturbation event organised to raise money for the sexual health charity Marie Stopes International
Marie Stopes International
Marie Stopes International is an International Non-Governmental Organisation working on Sexual and Reproductive Health with headquarters in London, UK. It is named after Marie Stopes, a Scottish author, campaigner for eugenics, women's rights, and a pioneer in the field of family planning...
. A press release from Zig-Zag, the independent production company
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
behind the recording of the event, promised that the film would reveal "if the only things allowed to be stiff in Britain are upper lips
Stiff upper lip
One who has a stiff upper lip displays fortitude in the face of adversity, or exercises great self-restraint in the expression of emotion. The phrase is most commonly heard as part of the idiom "keep a stiff upper lip", and has traditionally been used to describe an attribute of British people ,...
". The programme's working title
Working title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
was Wank-a-thon.
A week later, plans for an as yet unnamed second documentary about compulsive male masturbators were announced, to be produced by the independent company Spun Gold. The film was to be an hour long and focus on men trying to cut down excessive masturbatory habits of up to twenty times a day, using methods developed in the United States. In September 2006, the final film in the series was announced. Entitled Masturbation For Girls, it was also to be produced by Spun Gold, and focus on female masturbation. It was to feature the sex education
Sex education
Sex education refers to formal programs of instruction on a wide range of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, and...
alist Dr Betty Dodson
Betty Dodson
Betty Dodson is an American sex educator, author, and artist. Dodson held the first one-woman show of erotic art at the Wickersham Gallery in New York City in 1968. She left the art world to teach sex to women...
, although the format had yet not been finalised. It was reported after the postponement of their airing that the second and third films were to be entitled I Can't Stop Wanking and Masturbation for Women respectively.
Controversy and cancellation
Wank Week was criticised in the prestigious James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture at the 2006 Edinburgh International Television FestivalEdinburgh International Television Festival
The Edinburgh International Television Festival, founded in 1976, is held annually over the British August bank holiday weekend at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre....
on 25 August, only a month after Channel 4's initial announcement. Charles Allen, the outgoing Chief Executive of Channel 4's commercial rival ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
, attacked Channel 4 for deterioration of output and adopting a "begging" approach to finances in the run-up to terrestrial digital switchover (requesting subsidies for public service output while pursuing a path of commercialism). Wank Week's mention came as part of a critique of programming that Channel 4 was counting towards its "educational" content. Allen joked that he was expecting Wank Week to be included, "but that could be a hard one to pull off even for Channel 4." The pun was subsequently repeated in the press.
Criticisms of Wank Week were echoed later in 2006 by Sir Jeremy Isaacs
Jeremy Isaacs
Sir Jeremy Isaacs is a British television producer and executive, winner of many BAFTA awards and international Emmy Awards. He was also General Director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden .-Early life:...
, the first Chief Executive of Channel 4, in an article for Prospect magazine. Isaacs argued that Channel 4's increased commercialisation led to a targeting of the 16-34 year old audience, and the subsequent "obsession with adolescent transgression and sex" could be seen in programming such as Designer Vaginas, The World's Biggest Penis and Wank Week.
Although these public attacks led to reports of concern in Channel 4 management, postponement of Wank Week did not take place until early February 2007, only a month before its planned screening. There had been a major racism controversy
Celebrity Big Brother racism controversy
The Celebrity Big Brother racism controversy was a series of events related to incidents of perceived racist behaviour by contestants on the television series Celebrity Big Brother 2007 shown on British television station Channel 4...
during January's Celebrity Big Brother
Celebrity Big Brother 2007 (UK)
Celebrity Big Brother 2007 was the highly controversial fifth series of the United Kingdom reality television series Celebrity Big Brother, a spin-off of Big Brother. The series was broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK , and involved a number of celebrities referred to as 'housemates', who live in the...
contest, and the launch of Wank Week raised the prospect of further embarrassment at a critical time: Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
was reviewing the channel's finances ahead of the digital switchover, with the continued nature of Channel 4's existence as a state-owned but advertisement-funded
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
public service broadcaster at stake. Broadcast magazine reported that several senior figures at Channel 4 had felt uncomfortable about Wank Week, including deputy chairman David Puttnam
David Puttnam
David Terence Puttnam, Baron Puttnam, CBE, FRSA is a British film producer. He sits on the Labour benches in the House of Lords, although he is not principally a politician.-Early life:...
and chairman Luke Johnson
Luke Johnson
Luke Johnson may refer to:* Luke S. Johnson , American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement* Luke Johnson , British businessman and former chairman of the British Channel 4...
, although they had originally not intended to formally object. The atmosphere following the Celebrity Big Brother racism row was suggested to have influenced the decision.
According to the media section of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, the films commissioned for Wank Week are likely to be broadcast at a later date, but probably not as part of a dedicated season of programming, and certainly not under the Wank Week banner. Dan Wootton, senior reporter at Broadcast, criticised the decision, calling it "wimpy". Contrasting it with the way that Channel 4 executives had been prepared to defend Celebrity Big Brother, he concluded they had acted hypocritically
Hypocrisy
Hypocrisy is the state of pretending to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually have. Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie....
.