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One of Fawlty Towers‘ most famous episodes has been removed from a streaming service due to racial slurs.
UKTV, which is owned by the BBC, has removed an episode entitled The Germans while it carries out a review into its content.
The episode, which first aired in 1975, features a memorable scene where Basil Fawlty, played by John Cleese, is seen goose-stepping through the hotel while shouting “don’t mention the war” in front of a group of German tourists.
In a separate scene, character Major Gowen uses offensive language when talking about the West Indies cricket team – a moment which had reportedly already been cut by some broadcasters.
Another moment shows Basil’s shock upon being treated in hospital by a black doctor.
A spokesperson for UKTV told The Guardian: “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.”
Despite the removal of the episode, all remaining 11 episodes of the show are still available on UKTV and Fawlty Towers is fully available to watch on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Britbox.
It follows the removal of Matt Lucas and David Walliams’ sketch comedy shows Little Britain and Come Fly With Me from streaming platforms over their use of blackface.
In light of the Black Lives Matter protests and global conversations about systemic racism, the TV series have been taken down.
Channel 4 has also removed episodes of Bo’ Selecta after creator Leigh Francis apologised for his caricatures of black people in the show.
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