# Fawlty Towers episode pulled **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 12, 2020, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-episode-pulled/855554 "2020-06-12T18:44:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-episode-pulled/855554/21 "2020-06-13T11:32:13Z")
Right. Let’s get to it. I’ll start by giving a similar example. [Making of the myth of winterval](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/nov/08/winterval-modern-myth-christmas). The story describes how someone marketing a multi event, long term celebration, didn’t call it specifically Christmas and a large amount of howls from “a certain type” claims the world was banning christmas. They were not. Nobody is banning anything. “They” don’t exist. What does exist is a bunch of people wanting to overreact to the slightest things by the most minimal of people. Often reacting to a minimum wage employee left on their own and making a bad decision. UKTV. A channel numbered about 60 down the digital channel count on UK Terrestial. Plays repeats of old episodes of television from the 70s. What surprises me is that they are showing something of as good quality as Fawlty Towers. Usually it’s Dad’s army, Allo Allo and Are you being served. Plus adverts. So many adverts that it is barely watchable. So a minor employee decided arbitarily to ban an episode in case it is racist. What does is cause outrage and crys of fury people claiming “They” are wanting it banned. Nobody is asking for this. Nobody cares. Nobody thinks this is racist. What does exist is an overreaction machine including the strangely instantly angry Cleese banging on it. Storm in a teacup. Another myth formed. What is happening here is the dismissal of valid points of BLM by grabbing whatever stupid minor events possible, making out the likes of BLM is overreacting. Nobody cares about this except the confused furious people overreacting to it. It doesn’t matter. Nobody is banning Fawlty Towers. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-episode-pulled/855554/22 "2020-06-13T12:22:32Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > Actually, he is now a bit insane with extremely dodgy views of things like Brexit, while living in the Carribean… If living in the Caribbean is insane, then I want to be crazy too. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-episode-pulled/855554/23 "2020-06-13T13:25:27Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > If living in the Caribbean is insane, then I want to be crazy too. Well, do you have a strong opinion on the UK despite not living there for years? And barely ever being in touch with the reality of the UK since the 70s? (He’s made veiled racist statements about London not being british anymore). ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-episode-pulled/855554/24 "2020-06-13T13:43:27Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > Well, do you have a strong opinion on the UK despite not living there for years? And barely ever being in touch with the reality of the UK since the 70s? (He’s made veiled racist statements about London not being british anymore). Tons of people have strong opinions on the US despite never having been here. Im ok with it. Mass communications means that people can be aware of local issues in one country while living halfway around the world. Like this: [How 'racist' bust 'hidden by Tory councillor' divided Derbyshire town | UK news | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jun/12/ashbourne-derbyshire-racist-black-bust-tory-councillor-petition) . Cleese is virulently anti-Trump. He is an independent thinker and very sarcastic. We need more of these types of thinkers and fewer sheep, imo. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-episode-pulled/855554/25 "2020-06-13T13:44:49Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > If living in the Caribbean is insane, then I want to be crazy too. He’s living there to avoid paying tax in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-episode-pulled/855554/26 "2020-06-13T13:49:18Z")
I’ve personally never liked that episode. I think it’s the weakest and least funny of all of them. But if they put a warning message on it, I think that will be sufficient. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-episode-pulled/855554/27 "2020-06-13T14:05:04Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > He’s living there to avoid paying tax in the UK. How many rich Brits are expats because of this very same issue? Rich New Yorkers are flocking to Florida because of onerous taxation in NY. Maybe he believes that the cost of living there isnt worth the benefit. Its nothing new. FTR, I think he is living in Los Angeles now, at least according to his tweets. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-episode-pulled/855554/28 "2020-06-13T15:15:18Z")
Goodfellas cut out the N word when I saw it on regular cable TV. I assume they left it in on HBO and similar channels. Cleese is back in the UK from what I’ve heard. Eric Idle is still in LA. ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-episode-pulled/855554/29 "2020-06-13T20:56:56Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > _All in the Family_ did have one episode, at a party at the Jefferson’s house where George first finds out that Jenny, Lionel’s fiancee, has a white father. When Jenny’s parents start bickering, George says loudly to Louise, “You see that Louise? The next thing you know he’ll be calling her a N\*\*\*\*\*!” > > Archie, who’s standing a little off to the side, says, “Geez, I haven’t used that word in ten years.” Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Piranha\_Brothers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@The\_Piranha\_Brothers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Piranha_Brothers)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-episode-pulled/855554/30 "2020-06-22T12:56:54Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > > [@casdave](#): > > > > John Cleese responds - stating that the aim was to ridicule racism by putting the words into the mouths of idiotic characters so show how stupid they were - make fun of the racists, show them how ridiculous they look… > > > > > [Fawlty Towers: John Cleese attacks 'cowardly' BBC over episode's removal - BBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-53020335) > > At last, a voice of sanity crying out in the wilderness. Cleese was tweeting a lot about it, but in fact several years ago he agreed to the BBC showing the edited version before 21:00. He should be careful that he doesn’t turn into one of his own characters, ranting like that. Yes, so there is a escape hatch (or should I say in this case: fire exit) in that it’s spoken by a fool. But it’s not glaringly obvious. People REALLY don’t like the N word. And in fact Fawlty Towers was a bit lazy like that. The good-for-nothing builder is Irish - that’s not total coincidence. So it wasn’t _total_ PC madness. Anyway it’s back now and not even cut, just preceded by a warning sign. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-episode-pulled/855554/31 "2020-06-22T14:55:32Z")
One of the top Archie Bunker scenes ever is the one where Sammy Davis Jr. comes to the house (he plays himself) and kisses Archie on the cheek just as they are taking a picture together. Sammy figured out Archie is a bigot so that’s why he did that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fawlty-towers-episode-pulled/855554.md?page=1)