Would You Want Classic Comedies Such As Faulty Towers,ofah,till Death Us Do Part,to Carry A Racist Warning?

[Bobbisox1]

I realise it was a different era but wouldn’t just switching it over/off suffice if it offends you?

[mushroom25]

//... then there is officer crab Tree, "good moaning"! //

officer Crabtree was given a Ted Heath accent - if you're old enough to recall the excruciatingly bad speech he delivered in French in the 1970s...… :-)

[Bobbisox1]

never seen it for a long time Emmie (LTN ) all I can remember the gentleman in EE played the coloured fellow and played it excellently
Rudolph Walker I believe he was called

[jackthehat]

As I recall, it was the classy Nina Baden-Semper and down-to-earth Kate Williams who showed up Jack Smethurst and Rudolph Walker for the sqabbling schoolboys they so often were.

I thought the general wish was that we move away from infantilising Men as husbands and fathers...?

[woofgang]

That was another one that was supposed to show up racist attitudes and may not have been as successful as was intended.

[andy-hughes]

Comedy relies entirely on interpretation, which is a moveable feast.

I understood that Alf Garnet was a grotesque parody of an ignorant racist, but plenty of people thought he was real, and applauded his views.

More recently, there are plenty of intelligent people who believe that Alan Partridge is a genuine chat show and radio host.

If you start pre-empting interpretations and 'warning' people, then you tend to destroy the point of satirical comedy, which is to make you laugh, and also think, in equal measure.

I have never subscribed to the notion of altering things because 'someone may be offended' - that is simply no way for an adult culture to exist.

Offence is not fatal, and it can be debated and debunked - but only if it is allowed the freedom to be experienced first, and that is a risk inbuilt into every art form that exists.

You cannot start policing art to 'protect' people - it harks back to the pointless killjoy arrogance of people like Mary Whitehouse who sanctimoniously believed that only she and her merry band of fools were beyond 'corruption' and was therefore heaven-sent to 'save' everyone else.

I think we have moved past such stupidity now, let's not allow it to return.

[andy-hughes]

woofgang - // That was another one that was supposed to show up racist attitudes and may not have been as successful as was intended. //

I presume you refer to Love Thy Neighbour?

As I recall, it was unsuccessful as a parody or racism entirely due to the absence of anything approaching a humorous script.

Saying 'honky' and similar phrases over and over again simply evaporates any comedy impact, and soon obliterates any shock value, leaving a poor one-trick pony of exchanges to go round and round in ever-decreasing and depressingly humour-free circles.

[andy-hughes]

That's 'parody of racism'.

[pixie374]

While I totally agree, Andy... I don't think younger viewers will interpret it the same way. I must have been about 8 years old when my parents were watching ofah. Life has moved on.
I think it is perfectly acceptable to rerun anything and everything, perhaps with just a line of caution, but also acknowledge that older people will understand, while younger ones will either find them irrelevant at best, and offensive at worst.
To protect the older programmes, for those that do enjoy them, i think just a warning is a good compromise. It only takes one 20 year old to complain, for things to be banned for life otherwise.

[Tignus]

No! How ridiculous. If you don’t like it don’t watch it. Meanwhile many programmes these days are more or less porn. Double standards

[pixie374]

People won't know they don't like it, until they watch it. That doesn't make much sense, tigmus. Obviously, we all see things differently now.

[Tignus]

Actually I think shows like I’m a celebrity should carry a warning about gender as I am offended by watching a he who is now a she blabbing on about his / her / its issues.
Sickening.

[Mamyalynne]

Lots of programmes have warnings before them and even during the breaks on commercial channels, so nothing wrong with more in a way.

Just so long as they don't clutter up the main channels with these old dated shows billed as 'Another chance to see'.

[pixie374]

An unfashionable view today. Don't worry... everything goes round in circles. It will come back- there is always a process... (with younger ABers probably)...
1) understand what "honesty" means.
2) pretend your generation invented it
3) accuse anyone older of not understanding what it means
4) even if they do... tell them they are too old and stuck in their ways to embrace "new" concepts
5) invent the word "realityphobe".

And we are off! :-)

[retrocop]

//... then there is officer crab Tree, "good moaning"! //

officer Crabtree was given a Ted Heath accent - if you're old enough to recall the excruciatingly bad speech he delivered in French in the 1970s...… :-)

Every Christmas our unit had our Christmas dinner in our base. We used to provide our own entertainment after the meal and a few drinks.
I once did a skit of Officer Crabtree with a monologue of all humerous events that we,as a group,experienced throughout the year. I gave the senior officers a good ear bashing with my crabtree esque French accent and the innuendo that went with it.I was asked to do it each year after that complete with homemade gendarme uniform. I still have a photo of that. Happy days. :-)

[ToraToraTora]

retro, upload the picture we'd love to see that!
"officer Crabtree was given a Ted Heath accent - if you're old enough to recall the excruciatingly bad speech he delivered in French in the 1970s...… :-) " - when Blair was PM he once gave a speech in Paris in perfect fluent French as he'd worked there when he was a student. Unable to mock his French the Tabloids took another tack: "What does Blair think he's doing? doesn't he know it's the job of the British to murder the French language?"!

[retrocop]

TTT
I'll see if I can find it.

[douglas9401]

I weigh with boated broth.

[ToraToraTora]

possed mesolf liffing!

[Bobbisox1]

Haha, thanks lads for being so cheerful on here :0)

[hereIam]

What on earth is that supposed to mean pixie 'life has moved on' ?? It's a comedy show fgs and as far as I'm concerned OFAH was one of the best on the box and stands the test of time now.