10 Moments Edited Out Of Your Favourite TV Shows
2. The Racist Policeman - The Young Ones
Like Fawlty Towers, The Young Ones is a legendary British sitcom which remains a much-loved TV staple to this very day, yet in the years since the original 1982 airing of its series one episode "Boring," the BBC decided to cut one of its more risque, race-related gags.
The joke in question sees Rick (Rik Mayall) being accosted by an obnoxious policeman who, due to wearing sunglasses, believes Rick to be black rather than white.
As a result upon first accosting Rick, he refers to him as "Mr. Sambo Darkie C**n" and "Mr. Rastas Chocolate Drop", and after removing his glasses to see that Rick is in fact white, claims that he thought he was an "n-word."
Though the scene is clearly satirising racism in the police - as prevalent an issue today as it was 40 years ago - many viewers nevertheless felt that the scene was making excess light of a systemic issue in British society, and that it came off rather tone-deaf as a result.
Due to the blowback, the episode is rarely aired during re-runs of The Young Ones, and even when it is, this exchange is typically edited out.
See it for yourself at 31:25 in the clip below: