Australian advert banned on UK TV

British regulators have banned an advert aimed at luring tourists to Australia due to its use of a mild swear word, Tourism Australia says.

The headline for the commercial, which features Australians drinking and frolicking on the beach, is "So where the bloody hell are you?".

As a result, the word "bloody" will be cut for the advert when shown on UK TV, according to Tourism Australia.

The advert is part of a $100m campaign to lure more tourists to Australia.

Tourism Australia managing director Scott Morrison said the ban would only make the campaign more successful:

"We thank the UK authorities for the extra free publicity and invite them to have a 'bloody' good holiday in Australia, especially with the Commonwealth Games now on and the Ashes coming up later in the year," he said.

Mr Morrison nevertheless said he hoped the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre (BACC) would reconsider its decision.

Australian Tourism Minister Fran Bailey said the ban was "comical'', because the uncut commercial would still appear in cinema, in print and online in the UK.

"The regulator is out of touch with British opinion - based on our research and the initial feedback the British are loving our cheeky sense of humour.''

"The regulators have clearly misplaced their sense of humour - and this from a country that brought us Benny Hill, the Two Ronnies and Little Britain,'' she said.

No-one at the BACC was available to comment on the ban on Thursday.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/4789650.stm