Fawlty Towers co-creator and star John Cleese has labelled the BBC's decision to remove an episode of the show from streaming services as "cowardly and gutless and contemptible".
UKTV, which is owned by the BBC, temporarily removed the Fawlty Towers episode The Germans this week due to the episode containing racist slurs.
It followed a series of moves by streaming platforms in the past week to purge offensive content in the wake of a growing movement, online and via the Black Lives Matter street protests, to combat racism.
In a series of tweets, Cleese called the program's removal a self-serving move of "stupidity" by bureaucrats at the British broadcaster.
"The BBC is now run by a mixture of marketing people and petty bureaucrats. It used to have a large sprinkling of people who'd actually made programmes," Cleese wrote on Twitter.
"Not any more. So BBC decisions are made by persons whose main concern is not losing their jobs … that's why they're so cowardly and gutless and contemptible.
"I rest my case."
The final episode of Fawlty Towers' first season, The Germans is generally remembered for giving rise to the line "Don't mention the war".
What has likely led to UKTV's decision, however, is a conversation in the episode between Basil Fawlty (Cleese) and the hotel's ailing permanent resident, Major Gowen (Ballard Berkeley), in which the Major uses a series of racist slurs in an anecdote about the West Indies cricket team.
Cleese defended the airing of reactionary views in comedy programs by citing the way BBC sitcom Til Death Us Do Part discredited character Alf Garnett's racism.
In response to a comment pointing out the Major's slurs were the stated reason for the episode's removal, Cleese suggested there was a double standard.
Episode to be reinstated with warning
UKTV has since released a statement indicating the episode will be reinstated with a warning it contains potentially offensive content and language.
It is not the first time the BBC has acted in relation to the Fawlty Towers episode's offensive language.
The BBC edited out parts of the same scene in 2013, saying it did so partly so it could air it to a "family audience" at 7:30pm.
"Public attitudes have changed significantly since it was made and it was decided to make some minor changes, with the consent of John Cleese's management," a BBC spokesperson told The Daily Mail at the time.
The decision by streaming services in the past few days to remove material featuring racist dialogue or depictions has been generally welcomed by artists of colour in the Australian screen industry.
However, many have said it is ultimately a simple move that should not preclude the services from the harder, and more meaningful, work of investing in more diverse stories.
Both series of Fawlty Towers are available to stream in Australia on Stan.
The ABC has contacted Stan for comment.
