South Park 'kills the Queen' | Culture

A still from South Park episode The Snuke. Photograph: PA The news that an episode of South Park features the Queen committing suicide is provoking a blizzard of outrage in certain sections of the British media. In the episode, already broadcast in the US and entitled The Snuke, an animated Elizabeth II fatally shoots herself

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South Park 'kills the Queen'

An episode of South Park featuring the Queen committing suicide is provoking outrage. But if the show is famous for anything, it's for going too far.


A still from South Park episode The Snuke. Photograph: PA

The news that an episode of South Park features the Queen committing suicide is provoking a blizzard of outrage in certain sections of the British media. In the episode, already broadcast in the US and entitled The Snuke, an animated Elizabeth II fatally shoots herself in the mouth after her attempt to overthrow the American government fails. Most commentators have been unanimous in declaring that South Park has gone too far this time. The rest of us are surely unanimous in concluding that the same commentators can't be too familar with the show.

If South Park has been famous for anything in its 10-year run then it's for going too far. Co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone pride themselves in being "equal opportunity offenders". Thus, no subject matter has been too taboo for lethal South Park consideration, no institution or individual too sacred. In the 2004 episode entitled The Passion Of The Jew, the obese Eric Cartman character dons a Nazi uniform and leads the citizens of South Park on a march, exhorting them to chant a German phrase that translates as: "We must exterminate the Jews." In 2005, widespread Catholic protests followed the Bloody Mary episode in which a statue of the Virgin Mary is depicted with a bleeding anus. In the movie spin-off, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, Saddam Hussein and Satan feature as gay lovers. Parker and Stone could hardly contain their delight upon hearing that the US military screened the movie repeatedly for Saddam while he was awaiting trial for genocide. The late dictator's reaction is unrecorded but it's probably safe to assume that his funny bone remained resolutely untickled.

The news that South Park has finally got round to featuring Her Majesty in a less than flattering scenario shouldn't be surprising in the least. They were bound to get round to her sooner or later. Already there are calls for the episode to be banned in Britain on the grounds of gross, even treasonable, offensiveness. If this comes to pass, it's unlikely that Parker and Stone will take it lying down. When things don't go their way, they have a penchant for merciless creative revenge. In 2006, Scientologist Isaac Hayes quit South Park following an episode that satirized his own religion, explaining that he objected to its "intolerance and bigotry toward religious beliefs". Parker and Stone calmly pointed out that Hayes had no problem with them previously ripping the piss out of Christians, Muslim, Mormons and Jews. Then, at the height of the furore over a Danish newspaper publishing caricatures of Muhammed, South Park's US network banned the show from using an image of the prophet. Parker and Stone obligingly removed the image, replacing it with one that depicted Jesus Christ defecating on George Bush and the American flag.

"We are not amused" is the most likely reaction from the Queen to news that she's bumped herself off in South Park. All things considered, Ma'am might consider herself to have got off very lightly indeed.

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