Fawlty Towers star John Cleese slams ‘stupid’ decision to remove ‘don’t mention the War’ episode by UKTV
JOHN Cleese has blasted a "stupid" decision to drop his classic "Germans" Fawlty Towers episode from TV over its use of the "n-word".
The much-loved episode first aired in 1975 shows manic hotel owner Basil Fawlty goose stepping in front of German guests and whispering "Don't mention the war."
But it also features a scene in which bumbling guest The Major uses the “n-word” three times while talking about Indian test cricketers.
BBC subsidiary UKTV has now "temporarily" removed the episode of the first season over its "racial slurs".
The channel said the episode's availability to streaming viewers was now under review adding "we want to take our time to consider our options for this episode".
But 80-year-old Monty Python and Fawlty legend Cleese hit back with a withering attack on the forces moving to censor comedy.
Cleese - now based in Los Angeles - said: “One of the things I’ve learned in the last 180 years is that people have very different senses of humour.
“Some of them understand that if you put nonsense words into the mouth of someone you want to make fun of you’re not broadcasting their views, you’re making fun of them.
“The Major was an old fossil left over from decades before. We were not supporting his views, we were making fun of them.
“If they can’t see that, if people are too stupid to see that, what can one say?
“Fawlty Towers has given a large number of people a great deal of happiness, why would you want to stop that?
“It reminds me of the definition of a Scottish Presbyterian as someone who has a nasty, sneaking feeling that someone, somewhere, is having a good time.”
Cleese also hit out at BBC management for bowing to pressure to purge its catalogue of “problematic” material in the wake of global Black Lives Matter protests.
He added: “A lot of the people in charge now at the BBC just want to hang onto their jobs.
“If a few people get excited they pacify them rather than standing their ground as they would have done 30 or 40 years ago.”
He also questioned the wisdom of trying to apply modern morality to shows made during less tolerant times.
He said: “Sir Isaac Newton had shares in the South Sea Company, which indulged in many different types of trading, and some of it, disgracefully, was slavery.
“So are we going to get rid of Newton’s optics on the grounds that it’s not really sound any more because he held shares in a company that dealt in slaves?
“The Greeks in 500 BC felt that culture, or any kind of real civilisation, was only possible because of slavery – does that mean we should take down all the statues of Socrates?
“Do you say we shouldn’t be looking at Caravaggio’s paintings because he once murdered someone?”
The veteran funnyman went on to expressed his support for the aims of the Black Lives Matter.
He said: “At the moment there is a huge swell of anger and a really admirable feeling that we must make our society less discriminatory, and I think that part of it is very good.
“It seems to me the best parts of the George Floyd protests have been very moving and very, very powerful.
“There are looters, just as there are rogue police, but if we let our focus be on the 10 per cent who are always trying to f*** everything up, we might forget that what it’s really about is trying to behave a bit more kindly towards everyone.”
The episode is the latest “classic” British TV show to be removed from a streaming service, as broadcasters continue to re-assess old television content.
A spokesperson for UKTV repeatedly refused to clarify why the programme had been removed, or whether the decision was permanent: “We aren’t commenting on individual titles.
"However, we regularly review our programmes, and make edits, add warnings and make schedule changes where necessary to ensure that our channels meet the expectations of our audience."
The 11 other episodes of Fawlty Towers remain available to stream on UKTV’s paid on-demand service.
Both Little Britain and Come Fly With Me have been removed from Netflix, BBC iPlayer and BritBox after controversy over the use of blackface characters.
The series, starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams, are no longer available to watch on the online streaming sites amid the Black Lives Matter protests.
BBC and BritBox both confirmed the TV shows have been taken down, telling viewers: "Times have changed."
In Little Britain - which aired from 2003 to 2007 - Walliams wore make up to play spa guest Desiree DeVere.
He also dressed up to play passenger liaison officer Moses Beacon and airline boss Omar Baba in In Come Fly With Me, which launched in 2010.