The problem with the Chaser's brand of comedy is that it mainly relys on stunts to be funny. When it works it can be very funny but there comes this expectation that each time the stunts will be bigger and better. It's almost impossible to maintain.

What is easy to do is to continue to push the boundries, to shock people under the guise of comedy. It really isn't hard to come up with skits that will offend people and it doesn't take a great deal of talent. The real joke behind the skit then becomes 'Wow, I can't believe they said that (or got away with that).'

There is nothing clever or innovative about this style of humour, but it can work and it does have its place. Certainly, people will become offended and often justifiably so. It becomes a matter of how many offended people is concidered exceptable? Is it really okay to poke fun at 'everything' or should some topics be off limit.

Prehaps the real talent is deciding what is exceptable and what is bad taste.

Let's not forget the businesses posing as charities who are making a hell of a lot of money and employing people and boosting the false economy who are doing very well out of pulling at the heartstrings.

We are talking about black humour, here. Maybe it shouldn't have been allowed on; but the 'outrage'shown by people (other than families concerned) was laid on a bit thick.

"Who would dare to criticise the playing on our emotions or the exploitation of our guilt by an organisation which brings a little happiness to the life of a terminally ill child? No one much; with the result that very few will say - what Suresh Viswanathan wrote to the Sydney Morning Herald (June 5) - that what a dying child wants is two things: to get better and to go home; it would be much better for people to donate to the research which has found cures for many formerly terminal illnesses."

Suresh misses the point that not all kids are going to get better and go home - not now and maybe never. Having a child with terminal or potentially terminal illness puts enormous strains and restraints on families. While not an avid contributor to Make a Wish or similar organisations, I am supportive of the aim to provide these kids and immediate family with memorable experiences - of the better sort.

As an aficionado of black humour I generally enjoy Chaser but found the 'realistic wish' totally unfunny. The guys and girls at ABC can do better than that and should. Some subjects are never going to be suitable fodder for the humour mill and this is one.

'The Chaser" hasn't been muzzled and the sky isn't falling in. It is unusual for a senior bureaucrat to be held accountable for a poor decision, but may there be more of it in the future. Certainly when bonuses are being handed out there are no complaints.

The ABC has done itself a very big favour in showing that it may not be, as some would claim, elitist and unaccountable. Many will applaud what could be a new Age of exciting and creative programs where the ABC has regard for what its broader audience wants and models the accountability it expects of others.

The ABC has shown it is completely spineless.

99% of the complaints were not by people who have lost children, but by busy bodies who thought that it might offend someone that should be protected from all negative thoughts.

Has anyone actually done a poll on what the parents of terminally ill kids really thought? I dare to suggest that they were far less bothered than the 1000s from the blue rinse busy body brigade that want to sanitize our thoughts.

I didn't find it funny, so I changed the channel. Duh.

Shadow Minister,

You've got it right. "Busybodys" is a good word to describe the protesters.