A timely and often surprising film, Mind Your F-ing Language reveals the rich and hidden world of the language that kids actually use, and looks at one school’s attempts to deal with swearing. Britain is getting a reputation as one of the most foul-mouthed countries in the world. Young people are growing up seeing swearing as part of everyday life, and that includes at school.
For some, bad language is part of a loss of respect for others, leaving many children hurt and upset, and helping to fuel aggressive behaviour. Others see swearing as a teenage rite of passage; self-expression that is capable of poetry. But what can, and should, be done about it? Wednesfield High School in Wolverhampton is no different from hundreds of others around the country. Its pupils are from all backgrounds and abilities, and it is rated good by Ofsted. But, as in many schools, swearing is running out of control.
With the help of author and vicar’s wife Anne Atkins, and Viz founder Simon Donald, Head Peter Coates wants to look at the scale of the issue and find a solution. While Anne discovers the reality of bad language in the school, Simon sets a swearing exam to find out the words pupils find most offensive, and give them a vote on what should be done. The pupils’ list of swear words is a surprise to Simon, as is the support for a “Zero Tolerance” approach to foul language at the school: anyone caught swearing will be punished, and even suspended in the worst cases. But can the ban succeed in holding back the tide of swearing?
Channel 4, Monday 14th May, 9PM
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