Paul Casserly: A dog called 'Lundybainwatson'

The dog from Hounds is having a name change. Photo / Supplied

Opinion

As reported in the Herald On Sunday, Joe Karam has managed to remove a reference to David Bain from an upcoming comedy series.

"Red-faced television bosses have ordered a last minute change following a complaint that a dog had been named after a trio of men accused of the country's most notorious murders," reported the the Herald On Sunday.

The show in question is Hounds, an upcoming comedy series from the Downlow Concept, the production team who gave us 7 Days and some of the best 48 hour film festival shorts.

These guys are funny and their upcoming series is a great showcase of their uniquely twisted humour. Humour that has now been edited by Joe Karam.

Joe learnt that the comedy - which is based around the dog racing community - featured a hound named "Lundybainwatson," as in convicted murderer Mark Lundy, the acquitted David Bain and the convicted-but-possibly-wrongly-so Scott Watson.

It's meant to be a joke. Some will find it funny, but to others - David's supporters in particular - not so much.

It's fair to say if you were Joe Karam and you were tipped off about this joke you'd probably like it taken out too. Some will be shocked that he has been successful.

You might think that TV3 and the producers are simply being cowards. It's just a joke after all. Like all the ones that Letterman makes about OJ Simpson, perhaps?

A lawyer tells me the word association involved is clearly defamatory and so it's a no brainier to remove it.

Unless you have deep pockets and a real belief in your cause it pays to walk away. Which is what TV3 and the producers have evidently done.

But I can't help thinking that Karam has inflicted an own-goal by drawing attention to a joke in an edgy comedy show that's likely to have a niche audience.

Rather than thousands of viewers simply emitting a guffaw or snort and then forgetting the joke, it's now front-page news. That unlikely new word 'Lundybainwatson' is probably being screen printed onto T-shirts as we speak.

Talk about unintended consequences. Perhaps the story could even serve to put the case of Scott Watson back in the limelight. He still has a strong base of supporters and if the rather compelling book and 2003 documentary Murder on The Blade? by Keith Hunter is to be believed, he may well be innocent.

The only sensible thing to do now is for TV3 to change the name of dog to Lundyridgewatson, thus ensuring some cross-promotional synergy with the upcoming Sally Ridge reality show.

* What do you think they should change the name of the Greyhound to?