Sun Jealous Of Channel 4

If there is one thing that Rupe’s downmarket troops at the Super Soaraway Currant Bun do not hold back on, it’s the laddish language and raunchy characterisations. After all, this is the paper that brought us Page 3 Girls. But Sun hacks are equally adept at putting the boot into the broadcasters, and if they can’t find anything on the BBC to gripe about, there’s always Channel 4.

The latter is now filming a second series of What Happens In Kavos, the first having aired at the beginning of the year. And anyone who has visited the island of Corfu any time in the last, oh I dunno, 25 years will have wondered why the programme makers did not do it a lot earlier. Kavos, at the south-eastern tip of the island, is one of the longest established Young Fun Party Places in the Greek islands.

It also enjoys the distinction, unlike Malia, Laganas, Faliraki and Kardamena, of not being more or less the first resort you come to after leaving the nearest airport (It’s quite a long drive from Corfu Town). This means the partying folks tend to stay in the resort for the whole of their stay, and are therefore ideal material for documentary makers, and even hacks and snappers.

But the Sun, which had already found adversely upon the first series (“What Happens In Kavos slammed as 'sick' and 'disgusting' by viewers”), is clearly unhappy that Channel 4 viewers get to see the resort, while the poor hacks have to remain in their office, with noses firmly against the grindstone. So out has come the headline “Sexploited by Channel 4” today.

What’s the problem? “What Happens In Kavos accused of targeting bonking Brit women” is the first excuse. Clearly this is a different kind of “bonking” than that done by all those slebs that the Sun and its paid freelances chase around after. So if you’re well known, “bonking” is newsworthy, provided it’s in the Sun. If you’re not a sleb, then “bonking” is “sick” and “disgusting”.

And while you’re figuring out the Sun’s interesting way with logic, consider this: the first paper to lift the Sun copy has not been the Daily Star, Express or Mail, but the supposedly refined and upmarket Telegraph (in the “Culture” section). Dicky Windbag says you couldn’t make it up. The Tel has copied the whole story – minus the “bonking” references – including the Sun’s anonymous local “source”.

Channel 4 may have temporarily called in the production company to make it look like they are being bawled out, but they’ll be back, along with a queue of Sun hacks desperate for a Corfu assignment so they can watch the action first hand. Because this is just another snark at a broadcaster the Murdoch press doesn’t like – if the documentary was on Sky, the treatment would have been slightly different.

Not that Rupe’s downmarket troops are stinking hypocrites, you understand.