Crime and rape TV shows ‘give people ideas’ Ridley Scott he said.

Speaking after its launch Gladiator IIsequel to the 2000 Oscar-winning film starring Russell Crowe, Mr Scott called for more “clean storytelling” and an end to the spate of dark rape and murder shows.

Mr Scott said the entertainment was naturally “a bit warped” but that it was too often “abused”.

A 2016 US study of 17 popular TV shows found that 70% of episodes included violence, accounting for 2.3 seconds of every minute aired.

Asked if society had really moved on from the days when people watched gladiators fight to the death, he told the Sunday Times: “Well, the problem is that we feed off of it. We are the inventors of our own death. The entertainment is, to a certain extent, a little twisted.

“Not all – some have a good voice. But often the voice is abused. And what happens to the good, clean stories? What if there’s another TV show about a girl found in the woods who’s been raped and dead for 25 years? Stop. It gives people ideas.”

Midsomer Murders ‘Trigger Warning’

It comes after a series of “trigger warnings” were placed on British TV shows by broadcasters, including warning viewers of Midsomer Murders that episodes may contain violence. Such warnings have been introduced by ITV on its streaming service, ITVX, which is currently showing the first 22 series.

Former stars of the series ridiculed the move, with the series featuring 388 murders, 423 deaths and 250 attempted murders in over 140 episodes.

1980s sitcom Terry and June, BBC drama Call the Midwife and even Shakespeare plays are among other content-warned viewing.

Theatergoers were also warned about potentially disturbing content in Shakespeare’s plays, prompting criticism from leading actors such as Dame Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes and Sir Ian McKellen.

Mr. Scott said he stopped short of the brutality shown in Gladiator II to appeal to the masses.

He said: “What people forget is that gladiatorial combat is not football. But they had a Christian family who stood in an arena while a big cat ate the children alive while their mother watched. And damn they did it for fun.

“You can’t go there with a popular movie. Where does the fun stop and the brutality begin? If I went any further in brutality, people would shut down. I’ve already lost a lot of blood from this. I could go on, but I draw the line. And that’s why the movie is probably going to be big.”

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