I agree that it 'was a joke taken too far'. Also Terry can't seem to write a weak or ridiculous female character, he seems to hold women in some kind of awe and cannot poke fun at them in the same way as men. I find this reverential, almost sycophantic attitude quite annoying.

I remember hearing an interview with Terry on Radio 4 about MR in which he said something like 'I find it difficult to write a weak female character' asked why he jokingly responded, 'I don't know, perhaps I was bullied by the older girls at school' or something similar.