Classic 80s sitcom Terry and June has become the latest TV show to be hit with a trigger warning for ‘discriminatory language’ after Fawlty Towers, Only Fools and Horses and ‘Allo ‘Allo also fell foul of snowflakes.
Nine series of the wildly successful programme aired on BBC1 between 1979 and 1987.
Terry Scott and Dame June Whitfield played Purley-based middle-aged, middle-class suburban couple Terry and June Medford.
Seven other authors contributed a few episodes, but John Kane wrote the majority of the 65 episodes.
ITV has now alerted viewers of the early evening classic’s “discriminatory language of the period” on its streaming service.
It follows similar warnings imposed on other classic British TV shows, including Only Fools And Horses, which had five episodes flagged in 2021 for ‘offensive racial language’.
They added in a statement on Tuesday: ‘Programming that contains potentially sensitive language has carried appropriate warnings since our launch. We regularly re-examine historical programming in order to review, re-label, provide context and ensure the right guidance is in place.’
ITV did not comment on the specific language used but a fan claimed on Twitter: ‘There’s an episode where Terry is at a work conference and puts June’s perfume on by mistake.
‘The entire episode is about how his boss hates gays and how Terry is terrified about being thought of as one. Cue every 70s homophobic comedy trope.’
Other classic shows such as ‘Allo ‘All, One Foot in the Grave and Fawlty Towers have been hit with similar trigger warnings.
Another warning over ‘offensive racial imagery’ appeared on an episode of 1970s comedy The Good Life.
In the comedy, Su Pollard played Peggy Ollerenshaw, the kooky maid who aspired to be a Yellowcoat and tried to get involved in the camp’s entertainment in any way she could.
Although the actress, who is currently 71 years old, gained notoriety for her outrageous fashion sense in real life, her character was recognised for her big glasses and frizzy hair from the 1980s.
Elsewhere in the show, RADA-trained actress Ruth Madoc received a BAFTA for playing Gladys Pugh, the Chief Yellowcoat, with the catchphrase, ‘Morning campers!’
Gladys nurtured an unrequited passion for Simon Cadell’s Jeffrey Fairbrother and describes theirs as a ‘great comedy partnership’.
Barry Howard played champion ballroom dancer Barry Stuart-Hargreaves, who died from cancer in 2016 at 78.
I enjoy having access to a growing selection of 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s TV episodes on demand, but I find it annoying when the opening commercials for these shows include the required warnings. Everything in the world they depicted was perfect. Man up, people; today’s culture is always willing to take offence.
These Gen Zers don’t know if they’re men, women, or lamppost. Actually, lamposts are useful; at least my dog seems to think so, and most people these days don’t know if they’re Martha or Arthur. They should watch ‘Love Thy Neighbour’, they would have a fit!
It was a much better world back then. Simpler and more innocent. You knew how to address people and what sex they were. Children generally had two married heterosexual parents, one of each, and people knew and accepted their roles in life, which fit together like a glove. It might not have been politically correct, but it was, without a doubt, far better than negotiating the minefield of today’s society.
Today’s BBC comedy shows should all include a disclaimer stating that they are unlikely to make viewers laugh.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 