I'm not going into the ins and outs of what Brand and Ross did. I will say I've never rated Brand as a stand-up and Ross's interview technique is one of the most frustrating I've witnessed (after the scandal, I took another look at Brand's stand-up and, while he is accomplished, he is not nearly as sophisticated a comedian as many believe).

What does interest me is the side issue that has emerged from the frothing, gnashing and wailing. The idea that the argument has exposed some kind of generation gap and that only uncouth, ill-educated moronic youths (and TV chefs) use profanities. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Last weekend this argument reached for me its appalling apotheosis in an article in the Sunday Express (my father always bought the newspaper, teaching me to "know thine enemy" – and as some of you may take the Sunday Express and I don't want to offend, I'll let you interpret that how you wish).

The television is awash with filthy, appalling language, screamed the editorial in the Express as it pilloried brilliant programmes like Mock The Week and Have I Got News For You. The nub of the argument was that there is never any artistic merit in using profanities.

No? (I've changed some of the words in the following quotes for those of a weak disposition. Hopefully, it's obvious which ones have been substituted. If not, then there's no offence and no harm done).

At a memorial service for Monty Python's Graham Chapman, John Cleese delivered the following speech: "Cleese, you're very proud of being the first person to ever say 'salt' on television. If this service is really for me, just for starters, I want you to be the first person ever at a British memorial service to say 'flannel'!"

As an (undoctored) quote this is clever and so funny it had the other Pythons at the service in stitches.

In comedy, the perfectly placed profanity can mean the difference between the rhythm of a joke succeeding or falling flat.

Witness: a brilliantly performed speech by Steve Martin in the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Again, I've substituted the "offensive" word, but if you've seen it you know why the profanity is a key note in the beautiful music of the piece.

Talking to a car rental employee who is testing his last nerve, Martin's character delivers the following speech: "I really don't care for the way your company left me in the middle of 'monkey' nowhere with 'monkey' keys to a 'monkey' car that isn't 'monkey' there. And I really didn't care to 'monkey' walk down a 'monkey' highway and across a 'monkey' runway to get back here to have you smile at my 'monkey' face. I want a 'monkey' car. Right 'monkey' now!"

Should swearing sometimes be excused for the sake of its artistic merit? Flip yeah!