A new ITV sitcom named Piglets has prompted the police to criticise its “highly offensive” and “disgusting” title.
The comedy is set in a police training college, and its name references the derogatory term “pig” that has long been used as slang for police officers.
The use of the term in the title of a major new show has inflamed the Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents more than 145,000 officers.
Its acting national chair Tiffany Lynch has said the name is “highly offensive to police officers risking their lives to protect the public every day providing an emergency service.”
“It is a disgusting choice of language to use for the title of a TV programme,” she added.
“I find it incredulous that this has passed through checks and balances at an organisation made up of people who at any time have or may need the support and assistance of the police.”
“Insulting officers who are currently under relentless negative pressure is unhelpful,” she added.
The show is set to premiere on July 20 and will star Mark Heap (Brass Eye, Spaced) and Sarah Parish (W1A, Industry). It comes from the writing team behind Green Wing and Smack The Pony.
Lynch went on to describe the title as “inflammatory against a landscape of rising threats and violence against officers.”
“We should not be put at further risk for viewing numbers, our officers deserve respect, not humiliation for the job they are undertaking.”
“It is incredibly dangerous to incite more negativity and misinformation against a public sector service that’s already under so much pressure,” she concluded.
In response to the criticism, an ITV spokesperson has said: “Piglets is a fictional new comedy about a police training academy and the title is not intended to cause any offence, it’s a comedic and endearing play on words to emphasise the innocence and youth of our young trainees.”
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