The List supports artists' right to swear at the Fringe

Show titles remain uncensored in our comprehensive Fringe listings

This article is from 2012.

Stuart Goldsmith

There has been some controversy in the run up to the Fringe this year about the programme's censorship of some sweary show titles. Liam Mullone, Richard Herring and Stuart Goldsmith have raised the issue in various interviews and statements, claiming that the Fringe's preference for asterisks and exclamation marks in offensive show titles impinges on their artistic freedoms, and opposes the spirit of the festival's anti-establishment roots, as well as making it harder for their shows to be searched for on the Fringe website.

The Fringe, for its part, has argued that the programme is read by a large number of people, and the language contained within needs to be suitable for a large range of ages. Although where this leaves uncensored show titles such as Molly Wobbly's Tit Factory, Kunt and the Gang, Heath Franklin's Chopper in A Hard Bastard's Guide to Life and Reginald D Hunter's Work in Progress... and Niggas, we're not quite sure.

We at The List would like to take this opportunity to reassure the comedians that we agree their show titles should be published unmolested: we think that Stuart Goldsmith is a prick, not a pr!ck; Richard Herring talks cock, not c*ck; and Liam Mullone lives in a land fit for fuckwits, not f*ckwits. In addition, we assert that Mark Little is a bullshit artist, Lili Scala is presenting another fucking variety show, Britain's got fuck all talent, and Shakespeare is shit-faced. We're quite happy for Jon Bennett to keep pretending things are a cock; for Snuff Box Theatre to introduce their bitch boxer; for Cristian Ceresoli to discuss the shit / la merda in whatever language he chooses; and for ArtWank to remain ArtWank as they have since 2010.

On the other hand, shows and organisations that censor themselves (such as Sh!t Theatre and The POOP Project's Eat $h*t) can be found under either heading.