Colm & Jim-Jim show is not up to scratch.. WATCHDOG RAPS PAIR AFTER KIDS HEAR SKIT.

Byline: MICHELLE O'KEEFFE

MOTORMOUTH DJs Colm and JimJim had a close shave after a sketch about Boyzone's Ronan Keating and Stephen Gately talking about itchy balls.

The 2FM Breakfast Show on got a slap on the wrist from the Broadcasting Complaints Commission after a listener claimed children heard coarse and offensive language.

The skit involved someone posing as Ronan asking Stephen what he can do about his itchy balls as hair he had waxed was growing back.

They also chatted about wanting to knock the "bleep bleep" head off bandmate Mikey Graham.

The person who complained to the watchdog claimed as kids has been on the show a short time earlier the programme was aimed at a family market.

She said the content was in bad taste and wrong when young children could be listening on their way to school.

But RTE insisted the comedy was acceptable for the airwaves. A spokesman said: "We believe that the language used and the subject matter would have been well within the audience's expectations for a comedy sketch broadcast on 2FM.

"The audience is predominantly in the 25 to 44 age group.

There is a category of listeners where there is considerable tolerance of the use of language and imagery which might offend other listeners.

"It is certainly true some of the listeners would be children listening with their parents.

"But as the show was a typical slightly zany show with the usual eccentric humour and language these parents listening with their children did so in the knowledge that some of the humour might be a little bit risque.

"They therefore accept that listening to the show does not harm their children and chose to remain listening, despite the presence of their children."

However, the watchdog found the sketch was inappropriately scheduled.

A spokesman said: "While the Commission would acknowledge that 2FM programming is not aimed at children, this does not preclude their responsibility of taking due care when scheduling sketches containing such coarse and offensive language and humour based on aggression.

"It was likely that at 8.55am on a Friday during a school term, children could be part of the audience.

"The tone and manner of the humour and the use of the language was not what the majority of parents would like their children to hear."

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