Today's Nude

Yesterday Ofcom published its Broadcast Bulletin Issue 140, which covers the period when Channel 4 aired Life Class: Today's Nude, a lunchtime invitation to watch an artist drawing a naked model (CLICK). I glimpsed bits of the first two programmes and found the artists' doodles pathetic and their inane chatter boring. The programme needed a few Michelangelos and a couple of Leonardos to make it come alive. The expected storm of protest didn't materialize. Ofcom received only 37 complaints about the nudity and upheld none of them. The black Adonis (above, left) who kicked off the week of classes prompted only one complaint. The elderly frump who modelled for the second show elicited 10 complaints (right). Here's the breakdown:

06/07/2009....1
06/07/2009...10
07/07/2009....5
08/07/2009...16
09/07/2009....5
(CLICK for Ofcom pdf).

Artangel has created a flickr™ group dedicated to this programme where I found drawings by donal1962 (left) and Emma Richardson to make the above illustration. Click the title link to see more. Note: the group's 202 members aren't complaining about the show's nudity. Prudes outvoted.