Fawlty Towers episode 'The Germans' pulled by UKTV

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief | 3d

UKTV removes the infamous 'The Germans' episode of classic comedy Fawlty Towers due to concerns over its "racial slurs".

UKTV has confirmed that the infamous 'The Germans' episode of Fawlty Towers has been removed from its on-demand service while it conducts a review of its content.

The horrific death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in the US last month has put the issue of racism at the top of the world's social agenda and has prompted broadcasters to review the appropriateness of their existing content.

Several shows have been removed in their entirety - including Little Britain, Bo' Selecta! and The Mighty Boosh - while in the US, the highest-grossing film of all time, Gone With The Wind, has been temporarily canned by HBO Max.

Now UKTV has decided to remove 'The Germans', an episode of Fawlty Towers in which John Cleese's character Basil suffers a knock to the head and keeps upsetting a group of German hotel guests with constant references to World War II and Nazi impersonations.

The episode also features multiple racist slurs - including use of the N-word - by Major Gowen.

"UKTV has temporarily removed an episode of Fawlty Towers The Germans from Gold's Box Set," said a UKTV spokesperson. "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"We regularly review older content to ensure it meets audience expectations and are particularly aware of the impact of outdated language.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 episode first aired in 1975 and has already been edited by some broadcasters for repeat transmission.