What is considered offensive these days? Almost everything, it seems, with those on both the left and right getting upset about everything from identity to race, and face coverings to Laurence Fox. Even the theme music for Offended By Irvine Welsh has been subjected to censorial tendencies: according to Shazam, F Buttons recorded 'Olympians' when most of us would give them a Fuck at the start of their name.

In this hour-long one-off, the Miami-based Edinburgher meets up with liberal-baiting comedians such as Geoff Norcott and Andrew Doyle who insist that self-censorship is on the rise despite having public profiles that have rarely been bigger, while Jake Chapman muses over the good old days when he and his brother Dinos' notorious exhibition as part of 1997's Sensation caused precisely that. Welsh also hangs out with author Nadifa Mohamed who bangs the drum for different voices to be heard, while rapper M.I.A. and artist Sarah Maple throw in their tuppenceworths. Everyone involved makes a decent, rational case for their view to the point that you start to wonder what everyone is actually arguing about. Nuance might not be welcome on social media (or 'meeja' as Irvine calls it) but it's perfectly at home in a Sky Arts doc.

Welsh, of course, knows a thing or two about causing offence. He recalls the furore over Trainspotting's inclusion on the 1993 Booker longlist, and the threats and tantrums from within the judging panel when the shortlist was debated. And then there were the letters he received concerning the violence in Marabou Stork Nightmares: a gang rape generated some outrage but was far outweighed by the complaints over a depiction of dog torture. Despite being a canine fan, he vowed to include such a scene in every publication thereafter.

As an experiment, Welsh rewrites a passage from his undeniably brutal Filth, draining it of all the main character's virulent bigotry. He sighs at how dull and unrealistic it becomes once he's PC-ed it up. The question remains: is the artistic self-censoring that critics claim has resulted from this wave of 'cancel culture' a sign that society is progressing, or in denying us exposure to the baser elements of humanity, does it lead to a blanded-out and risk-averse creative environment? It remains unsaid here though the subtext is heavy: the prevalence of a beige and non-confrontational culture would probably be the most offensive thing of all.

Available on NOW TV.