Are The Bbc Wrong To Ban 'it Ain't Half Hot Mum' From Our Screens?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2583111/It-aint-half-daft-BBC-ban-racist-Dads-Army-creator-JIMMY-PERRY-BBCs-refusal-repeats-greatest-hits.html

[retrocop]

Of course they b****y are but then thats The BBC for you.More Guardanista lefties who don't live in the real world or ever got their hands dirty in the real world.Rant over.I'm going back to Crosswords.Better for my blood pressure.

[woofgang]

I agree with the article in principle. I wouldn't ban it on grounds of racism....As a comedy though, I am not sure that it would stand the test of time. So much comedy doesn't...its interesting as social history but no longer hilarious.

[Baldric]

I'm not a great fan of the show, but I think the BBC are wrong.
I think nowadays a lot of people just look for something to be offended by, especially on behalf of someone else!

[kirkcudbright]

I hadn't heard about this, what a ridiculous thing to do. The PC brigade strike again!!

[Sipowicz]

Retro, too much caffeine? ;-)

[Old_Geezer]

I think they are being over-sensitive to those potential viewers who might be over-sensitive. Probably a group of zero members.

Maybe they'll destroy it all, as they have done to series in the past, so once society becomes more tolerant and see it as nostalgia, it doesn't exist any more ?

[askyourgran]

That is absolutely stupid. The programme was a comedic depiction of what it was like in India during the war years. My Dad was there in 1942-45, times were very different then. How they can bring the racist line into it is beyond belief. Self-righteous gits. They were glad to take the money for their services then when all they did before was sit around.

[retrocop]

You're right Sipowicz.Dare I even go back to crosswords today?

[woofgang]

ask your gran, what do you mean?

[Graham-W]

The language in "Love thy Neighbour" was certainly a lot worse than "It ain't half hot mum" and would be totally unacceptable these days.
I'm not even sure it was totally acceptable at the time.

[Old_Geezer]

It was risqué, but even in that series the laugh was on the racist, not those he was irrationally against. (Well actuality IIRC he wasn't against the young wife next door as much as he'd like.)

[237SJ]

I expect the death knell was Michael Bates with his face blacked-up.

[andy-hughes]

This is a tough one.

I am from the generation that loved this show in ths '70's, and saw nothing offensive in it.

But times do move on, and the BBC has a responsibility to all its viewers, not just those of 'a certain age'. I would be inclined to put it out late at night on BBC 4 with a waring, and see how it flies.

Offence never killed anyone, and if a significant minority feel it is wrong, then the schedule can be re-examined, but Iam never in favour of banning anything on the basis that 'someone might be offended' - that is simply copping out, and does a disservice to everyone.

We all have a right to be offended, but not to have our viewing censored in advance 'in case' - that is totalitarianism, a very sinister path to walk.

[B00]

"Are The Bbc Wrong To Ban 'it Ain't Half Hot Mum' From Our Screens?"

Yep, the programmes dreadful, always was and I imagine it still is. And this isn't from a PC point of view, it just aint funny.

[andy-hughes]

The difference with 'Love Thy Neighbour' was that the message had a complete absence of anything approaching subtlety.

IAAHM has a wonderful cast of characters, and like all the best sit-coms, it is their reactions to each other that cause the humour - a selection of strata of UK and eastern society thrown together and having to make the best of their time.

LTN was a one-trick pony - once you have established that both progtanoists are ignorant racists - that's it. It doesn' become any funnier because you re-has the same lines week in week out - they simply lose any (and that's debatable) comic impact they may have had in the first three minutes of Episode One.

Iwould entirely support a ban on the return of Love Thy Neighbour, not bcause it is racist but because its crime, as a sit-com is far greater - it's not funny.

[anneasquith]

yes,ban it and dads army, both were dire programmes

[retrocop]

What tickles your fancy in the name of comedy then annieasquith.Both very corny programmes but innocent and no gratuitous expletives unlike the filth that is trotted out at the fringe and some stand-up comedy shows on the BBC

[anotheoldgit]

B00

/// Yep, the programmes dreadful, always was and I imagine it still is. And this isn't from a PC point of view, it just aint funny. ///

"In your opinion"

There are many things on TV that I don't find funny, but my batteries are still good in my remote control and all I need to do is select a programme that I enjoy, in the unlikely event that I do not enjoy anything, I just press the 'off' button'.

[anotheoldgit]

I wonder what the viewing figures would be if they were to show Love thy neighbour again?

[anotheoldgit]

anneasquith

/// yes,ban it and dads army, both were dire programmes ///

Ban Dad's Army? sacrilege!!!!!!!!!!