The famous ‘don’t mention the war’ episode of classic 1970s sitcom Fawlty Towers has been blocked from a streaming service because it contains “racial slurs”.
UKTV, which is owned by the BBC, said it had temporarily made The Germans episode unavailable while it carries out a review.
The programme first aired in 1975 and sees John Cleese’s misanthropic hotel owner Basil Fawlty goose-stepping around while shouting “don’t mention the war” in front of a group of visiting Germans.
It also contains the Major Gowen character using offensive language about the West Indies cricket team.
These scenes had already started to be edited out by some broadcasters, according to reports.
A UKTV spokesman said: “UKTV has temporarily removed an episode of Fawlty Towers The Germans from Gold’s Box Set.
“The episode contains racial slurs so we are taking the episode down while we review it. We regularly review older content to ensure it meets audience expectations and are particularly aware of the impact of outdated language.
“Some shows carry warnings and others are edited. We want to take time to consider our options for this episode.”
The decision follows removal of well-known films and TV shows that are now deemed offensive by portions of modern audiences.
Broadcasters and streaming services have also reevaluated their content following protests by the Black Lives Matter movement.
HBO Max temporarily removed 1939 civil war epic Gone With The Wind because of its “racial depictions”.
Little Britain had been removed from iPlayer because “times have changed” since the comedy first aired. The series, starring David Walliams and Matt Lucas, has come under fire recently because of the use of blackface in some sketches.
