BBC editing radio comedies to remove politically incorrect jokes!

The BBC is editing classic radio comedies to remove jokes that are considered to be politically incorrect or racist 

Repeats of shows on BBC Radio 4 Extra including Dad's Army, Steptoe and Son and I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again are believed to have been altered to remove jokes or entire sketches.

Edits are understood to have been made to certain radio shows over several years to remove content that may now be seen as racist, misogynistic or politically incorrect.

Sketch show I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, starring John Cleese, was reportedly hit by many of the alterations, with a repeat of a 1970 episode being edited to remove a joke said by Cleese about scantily dressed women on Top of the Pops.

References to disgraced stars Jimmy Savile and Rolf Harris were cut, with a 1970 sketch featuring a spoof of Harris's songs also being deleted.

The n-word was removed from a 1972 episode of Ronnie Barker's sketch show Lines From My Grandfather's Forehead, while a line containing racial stereotyping was also stripped from a 1974 Dad's Army episode.  

Meanwhile, a repeat of a 1971 radio episode of Steptoe and Son is believed to have been edited to cut the line: 'You're carrying on like some poofy Victorian poet.'

Elsewhere, it was revealed that the BBC removed sketches from old episodes of Chewin' The Fat to avoid offending modern audiences.

The hit Scottish comedy series has been re-edited for repeat showings to take out any material deemed too controversial.

The BBC have also attached an 'offensive language' warning on iPlayer episodes of classic prison sitcom Porridge.

The programme revolves around protagonist Norman Stanley Fletcher, played by Ronnie Barker, serving time at the fictional HM Prison Slade in Cumberland with cellmate Lennie Godber, played by Richard Beckinsale. 

It has also slapped warnings on episodes of Blackadder and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air because of jokes which viewers may find offensive. 

Blackadder, first aired in 1983, uses a slur in its second episode which the BBC decided warrants the warning.

The Fresh Prince of Bel Air's Reunion episode, filmed last year, also contains a warning at the start of the show.

The message says: 'Contains discriminatory language which some viewers may find offensive.'

The Royle Family has also been given a warning for discriminatory language in an episode including Jim Royle using a 'nancy boy' slur.

The third episode of the second series, which first aired on sees Ricky Tomlinson's character Jim watching Changing Rooms, during which he calls Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen a 'nancy boy'.

In 2020, the BBC removed episodes of Little Britain and Fawlty Towers from streaming services over fears of causing offence.

A BBC spokesperson said: 'The BBC regularly reviews older content to ensure it meets current audience expectations. This is part of our process when repeating archive content including comedy.'