Importance Score: 55 / 100 🔵
In a growing trend, another BBC programme has received trigger warnings, following similar alerts issued for the classic sitcom Only Fools and Horses due to potentially offensive language considered outdated by contemporary standards. According to reports, a recently rediscovered “lost” episode of the Doctor Who spin-off, The Savages, initially broadcast in 1966 featuring the first Doctor, William Hartnell, and previously classified as “missing from the archives,” now carries multiple content warnings upon its DVD release as an animated version. This instance highlights the increasing prevalence of trigger warnings on older television content.
Trigger Warnings for Doctor Who Spin-Off
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has indicated that The Savages includes “verbal references to discrimination and the discriminatory social structure of an alien society.” The animated series has been given a PG-13 rating, citing “mild threat,” “scary scenes,” “mild violence,” and “discrimination references.”
Only Fools and Horses Episodes Flagged
This development follows shortly after episodes of the popular comedy Only Fools and Horses were also accompanied by trigger warnings, a move that reportedly sparked negative reactions from some viewers. The series one episode ‘The Russians are Coming’ now includes a disclaimer stating: “Contains some offensive racial language of the time.”
Further Warnings Across Series
Episodes titled ‘The Yellow Peril’ and ‘Who’s A Pretty Boy’ from the second and third series respectively, also display the same viewer advisory. Additionally, two more episodes from series four and series five’s ‘The Miracle of Peckham’ which cautions about language that “may offend”, are similarly flagged. Notably, series six and seven of Only Fools and Horses are currently exempt from these warnings.
ITVX Adds Content Advisories to Comedy Programmes
Earlier this year, the streaming service ITVX implemented content warnings across a range of British comedy shows. These advisories are designed to alert viewers to potentially sensitive content, described as encompassing “humour, language, and attitudes of the time.”
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
Comedians’ Work Under Scrutiny
Performances by the late Sir Ken Dodd, along with routines by Victoria Wood, and shows featuring Carry On actor Kenneth Williams, have been highlighted. These programmes are cited as containing “outdated references and innuendo some may find offensive.”
Victoria Wood Content Warnings
The work of the celebrated comedian Victoria Wood, who passed away in 2016, is also subject to these advisories. Her famous 1986 “Let’s Do It” performance has been flagged for containing “mild sexual humour.”
“The Ballad of Barry and Freda”
Similarly, Wood’s comedic song “The Ballad of Barry and Freda,” originally featured in her BBC sketch show in 1986, now carries a warning. The advisory suggests that its content could be considered “mildly offensive” by contemporary audiences.