Kenny, the new Bingle off to the UK sort out the bloody Brits!

A report in The Sydney Morning Herald today says that Tourism Australia is about to unleash its secret weapon against those delicate Brits who were offended by the “Where the Bloody Hell Are You?” tourism campaign.

Tourism Minister Fran Bailey said yesterday she would dispatch larrikin Aussie portaloo plumber Kenny – aka actor Shane Jacobson – to Great Britain with orders to sort out the Poms’ offended sensibilities.

Following a small number of complaints from the British public, the UK Advertising Standards Authority has again ordered the Australian Government to withdraw the use of the words “bloody hell”, because they are deemed offensive.

A reported in TravelMole yesterday, just 32 people complained about three billboards in London, Glasgow and Birmingham, Ms Bailey adding, “They’ve had 32 complaints out of a population of 60 million about a billboard – who can take that seriously?”.

“We’re doing really well over there. I think they must be getting really worried – maybe they’ve heard that Kenny’s coming, adding, “Kenny is our secret weapon against these 32 people.”

Mr Jacobson said it was time for the UK to “bloody get over it”, adding, “It’s a bit bloody rough, isn’t it? Oh, you can’t say bloody,” and “I’m going over there to find out where the bloody hell they are, I’m going to ask them personally.”

He said that ambulance officers across the world would have trouble doing their jobs if the word “bloody” was censored in line with British modesty, saying “All the medics use ‘bloody’, they would say – he’s cut himself open, there’s blood everywhere, well now they can’t say it.”  “They’ll have to say – the person’s been injured and there’s red stuff, he’s got jam coming out of him.”

The British advertising watchdog last year banned the use of the word “bloody” in the advertisement for television broadcasts, but it was still allowed to be used on radio, websites and outdoor advertising, with at that time, Ms Bailey and the campaign’s star Lara Bingle, flying to London to meet with the advertising authority and succesfully winning an overturning of the ban.  In mid-2006, the television campaign was moved to the late night timeslot, with concerns that children might be exposed to offensive language if it was shown before 9pm, but this week the ASA has banned a poster campaign in the UK.

Ms Bailey met with Mr Jacobson yesterday to discuss a more high-profile role in promoting Australian tourism overseas on the back of the success of the film.

Report by The Mole from The Sydney Morning Herald