A poster advert promoting comedian Frankie Boyle’s controversial sketch show Tramadol Nights has escaped censure by the Advertising Standards Authority.

The poster for the Channel 4 series was written in the style of fuzzy felt and featured images of a badger firing a machine gun, two rabbits attacking each other with hypodermic needles and another which had been stabbed with knives.

An animal holding a chainsaw was also featured.

13 complaints were received about the poster, nine saying that the fuzzy felt would appeal to younger children, and because it featured drugs and violence, it could cause them distress. Another two said it could encourage recreational drug use, while two more objected to the reference to drugs and violence in the context of a child’s toy.

Channel 4 stated that the poster clearly advertised a post-watershed comedy TV programme, using animals rather than humans to be comedic and surreal rather than realistic. It also stated that nothing in the advert was condoned or encouraged and that because it was unrealistic, it was unlikely to influence society.

It added that poster sites were selected to be away from schools, to minimise messages being seen by younger audiences.

As a result, the ASA chose not to uphold the complaints, concluding that the advert was ‘unlikely to cause harm or distress to children’ and that that the images of the animals alongside violence and hypodermic needles were stylised and fantasty-like and would be unlikely to influence.