| Revision as of 17:04, 22 November 2007 editJava13690 (talk | contribs)2,058 editsm Text of Channel 4's apology← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 20:12, 7 January 2022 edit undoEmausBot (talk | contribs)Bots, Template editors2,861,075 editsm Bot: Fixing double redirect to Phoenix NightsTags: Redirect target changed PAWS [2.1] | ||
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| '''Keith Winston Lard''', is a fictional fire safety officer from ], played by ]. Lard has appeared in two of Peter Kay's television comedies on ], '']'' (in the episode "]") and in the first series of '']''. | |||
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| ==The character== | |||
| Keith Lard is portrayed as an over zealous ], who takes immense pride in his work raising awareness for fire safety through training seminars and safety inspection. He despises people's apathy and seemingly ignorant attitude towards fire safety, frequently scaring his bored audience with an ]. | |||
| ==Private life== | |||
| Lard's private life is the subject of speculation and ridicule regarding his unhealthy relationship with dogs (even with claims of ]). In his first appearance in "Eyes Down", Lard is seemingly oblivious to the snide comments made to him by the bingo staff attending his seminar. However at the end of the episode he is seen being led away by police. When he appears in ''Phoenix Nights'', it is made apparent by ] that he was charged with bestiality by the police, but not convicted due to lack of evidence. | |||
| ==Controversy== | |||
| A real life fire safety officer, Mr. Keith Laird, complained to Channel 4 about the character of Keith Lard, claiming the character damaged his reputation and personal integrity (in particular Keith Lard's interest in bestiality). | |||
| Mr. Laird possessed some similarities to the character of Keith Lard, working for Bolton Council as a fire safety officer, and even resembling the character in appearance. | |||
| Channel 4 and Peter Kay were forced to apologise to Mr. Laird for the embarrassment caused, with a reported payment of £10,000 being split amongst Mr. Laird and various fire safety organisations. In addition, Channel 4 broadcast a statement at the end of the ] of the first series stressing that the character of Keith Lard was fictional and not based on Mr. Keith Laird: | |||
| {{cquote|Channel 4 and Peter Kay would like to state that the character of Keith Lard may have led some persons to wrongly believe that the character was based on a Mr. Keith Laird. We wish to make it clear that this is not the case, and would like to apologise to Mr. Laird and his family for the distress caused. We have also agreed to make a donation to the ] and to Mr. Laird's family for his and his family's personal distress.}} | |||
| This was followed by message inviting viewers to write to Channel 4 for a fire safety leaflet prepared with the cooperation of Laird: | |||
| {{cquote|Mr. Laird's contribution to fire safety in Bolton is well documented and his professionalism and personal integrity are not in any doubt. If you would like more information on fire safety either contact your local fire station or go to channel4.com/firesafety for a list of links to useful websites. This information has been put together with the co-operation of both Greater Manchester County Fire Service and Keith Laird.}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
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