MediaGuardian.co.uk : German Big Brother attacked over nipple piercing

When John Humphries' speech to the 2004 Edinburgh International Television Festival spoke about how low TV has got in the UK, it probably didn't go down very well with those particular delegates responsible for programmes like Big Brother.

But one can only imagine what his speech would have said had he watched the German version of Big Brother - scenes which have now included a woman having one of her nipples pierced without anesthetic.

No matter what people in the UK think, we're still far far "behind" many parts of the world.

Although how long it will take Big Brother UK to catch up is another matter. As John Humphries said in his speech

What happened when BB ratings were down last year? The ratchet effect took over. We had to be shocked that bit more. Remember "getting evil"? That's what always happens when ratings are the only measure.

and when you look at Germany it does make you wonder.

We can only hope that despite everything, the UK's broadcasters never stoop so low.