10 Banned Episodes Of Famous TV Shows

BBC kids show The Tweenies has long been a favourite of toddlers, and parents looking to keep the toddlers distracted for a bit. The cuddly, colourful, resolutely non-threatening characters appeared in 390 episodes made between 1999 and 2002, all of which enjoyed repeat viewing on the CBeebies channel for many years afterwards.

Of course, the passage of time can mean that something which once seemed utterly harmless can take on a rather different quality down the line. This turned out to be the case when, in 2013, CBeebies unwittingly aired a 2001 episode in which Max, the elder leader of the Tweenies' playgroup, impersonates the late DJ and TV personality Jimmy Saville.

Since Saville's death in 2011, investigations by BBC's Newsnight helped bring to light hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse made against the formerly beloved figure, turning him from a national treasure to a source of national shame almost overnight.

Subsequently, the 2013 broadcast of this Tweenies episode drew 216 complaints from viewers. The BBC issued a formal apology, and declared that the episode would never be repeated again. The Tweenies was ultimately taken out of circulation on CBeebies in 2016.