Have the Wayans brothers apologised yet for dressing as white people?
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-53032895
Pleased by this decision, John Cleese's comments yesterday are right as far as I'm concerned - the original decision lumped Fawlty Towers, and programmes like Till death us do Part, in with Love thy Neighbour and they were completely different things.
Have the Wayans brothers apologised yet for dressing as white people?
Absolutely. No comparison whatsoever.
Alf Garnet and Eddie Booth were bigoted opinionated racists. Basil Fawltey was a "normal" bloke who wanted an easy life but was whipped kept getting himself into farcical situations.
The only bit of possible racism I can remember was the aforementioned Germans sketch where he had had the blow on the head from that naughty moose!
Unlike Love thy neighbour and TDUDP, FT is a show that stands the test of time but mainly was just funny.
Sensible outcome - although I thought this was always what UKTV suspended the episode to consider: either editing out the Major's racist lines (as Cleese himself agreed in 2013 for the BBC repeats) or adding a 'warning' message at the start as is used for so many other (often older comedy) programmes. In the end we get the unedited episode available through that source, but a recognition that public attitudes have evolved and the broadcasters recognise that.
Those sort of messages have to be selective though, or they become intrusive or meaningless. Some channels seem to start every programme with a warning about sex scenes, upsetting scenes, offensive language or something else (though rarely violence).
In my opinion, this is the right decision but they could easily bleep out the offending word from the Major or even cut out the scene altogether. Imagine being a young black child and settling down for what's advertised as a classic British show and viewing that scene. It's ugly, dated language and completely unnecessary.
Apart from the scene where the N word is used about 8 times uncensored
But to be fair you probably haven't seen that (me neither) because the BBC have been taking the sensible decision to air an edited version of that episode since 2003, thinking that that kind of language isn't appropriate at 1930 on BBC2 on a Sunday, even if it is "of its time".
UKTV were still airing the original version, and that's what was taken down yesterday pending review. As that link says, they've now reinstated it with warning about the language.
A classic gammon frothing at the mouth over nothing situation, I lost count a long time ago what number this is
what about Gavin and Stacey..he was called Chinese Alan because he liked Chinese food..ffs!
Have I Got News For You @haveigotnews - 12 Jun
Fawlty Towers faces criticism for ‘outdated material’, due to its depiction of a thriving hospitality industry.
We had to take down a Welsh advert for the 6 nations a few years back because the English complained and it was a cracker, you had groups of Welsh in Welsh shirts shouting England, groups of Irish in shirts shouting England, same with the Scots and I think they had the odd Frenchman and Italian as well, then came the punchline which was sport is not just about who you want to win but who you want to lose, lol, luvely butt.
Alf Garnett was a racist east ender played by Warren Mitchell, a jewish londoner
It was deliberately written to portray alf Garnett as a racist
Warren Mitchell was on a train in london once and this white bloke said to him I love the way you take the piss out of blacks and asians on that show
Mitchell said I am an immigrant and the people I am taking the piss out of is racists like you
There is a thin line between clever and stupid
Alf Garnett was a sharp and witty satire that had a go at everyone and he always came out worse off.
Love they Neighbour was your average sitcom with hardly any comedy value at all.
As a kid i hated the black and white minstral show ...."why were these men trying to look black but sing like a church choir" i thought.
what were they thinking with that show.
I agree. Warren Mitchell told a very good story about some racist bloke going up and saying to him "You tell it like it is, love your show Alf". Mitchell replied with "My show is making fun of people like you."
Love Thy Neighbour is horrendous, in hindsight, and was definitely "of its time". It has been repeated in my lifetime, but it was dreadful and, as you say, cheap.