‘Fawlty Towers’ Episode Pulled Over Racist Slurs

One of the most memorable episodes of one of the most popular British sitcoms of all-time has been withdrawn from a U.K. streaming service because of numerous racial slurs.

UKTV, a streaming service owned by the BBC, confirmed Friday that it was temporarily removing the 1975 Fawlty Towers episode “The Germans.”

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In the episode, hotel owner Basil Fawlty is seen rocking back when a black man approaches him in the hospital where his wife Sybil is readying for an operation on an in-growing toenail, only to find out that he’s the doctor.

Fawlty, who is played by John Cleese of “Monty Python” fame, is also seen goose-stepping around while shouting “don’t mention the war” in front of a group of visiting Germans after a bout of concussion.

But what’s causing particular offense, is a scene involving one of the hotel’s long-time guests, an elderly major, who uses deeply offensive language about the West Indies and India cricket teams.

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Cleese has criticized the decision, describing those who fail to see the episode is a critique of racism rather than an endorsement of it as “stupid.”

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While questioning attempts to airbrush the past, Cleese expressed his support for the aims of the Black Lives Matter protest movement.

“At the moment there is a huge swell of anger and a really admirable feeling that we must make our society less discriminatory, and I think that part of it is very good,” he said.

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