Humour is subjective, obviously, but I actually didn't find the show very funny at all. As I said, I thought a lot of the jokes were lazy or predictable or just played out. Gervais has proven himself to be capable of much better. Heck, I think I could do better.

But that's separate from the issue of what it's permissible to make jokes about. I think we'd agree that no topic should be off limits if it makes people laugh, and my opinion aside, it clearly made a lot of people laugh. If it's okay to joke about pedophilia and religion and disabled toddlers (and I haven't seen any outraged articles complaining about that), I feel like women with beards are fair game.

And yes, the idea that jokes are inherently malicious or a reflection of deeply-held beliefs is childish.