‘Epitome of racist sitcom’ Love Thy Neighbour being aired on 7Two
The Seven Network is airing prime time reruns of UK series Love Thy Neighbour – described by the British Film Institute as “reviled as the epitome of racist sitcom” – on its digital channel 7Two.
The comedy, made in 1972, features a white man’s horror when a black man moves in next door. It has not been aired in its home market for many years because of the offence caused by the regular use of phrases such as “nig-nog”, “spade” and “Sambo”.
Seven advertises the show as:
“Eddie Booth lived a very comfortable working class life, thank you very much, until the Reynolds moved in next door – and there went the neighbourhood. Because he’s got nothing against black people as long as they know their place – which isn’t next to his place.”
Although the white character, played by Jack Smethurst, generally ends up as the one who looks foolish, the programme is often cited as the most racist sitcom ever broadcast in the UK.
“While the show is now reviled as the epitome of racist sitcom, the original intention was ostensibly quite the opposite. Launching the series, the TV Times proudly announced, “It is about racial prejudice – with a difference. It should make us laugh a lot… and think a lot, too.” But to a large extent, it fails to do either. Compared to its controversial but more deftly-written precursor, Till Death Us Do Part (BBC, 1966-75), the characters and scripts of Love Thy Neighbour are flat, ramshackle, superficial and, because of the often careless and stereotypical exploitation of the central premise, intermittently offensive. Though the 1970s studio audience hoots uproariously at every mention of ‘sambo’ or ‘honky’, the comic value of the clumsy and gratuitous slanging matches that were central to the show is difficult to comprehend today, and it all makes for glum viewing.”
The series was acquired for broadcast on 7Two as part of a package of shows.
Section 1.9.6 of commercial TV’s code of practice states that shows cannot contain material that “provoke or perpetuate intense dislike, serious contempt or severe ridicule against a person or group of persons on the grounds of age, colour, gender, national or ethnic origin, disability, race, religion or sexual preference.”
However, the code of practice adds that broadcast is allowed of programming that is “said or done reasonably and in good faith in broadcasting an artistic work (including comedy or satire)”.
A Seven spokesman told Mumbrella that the jokes were at the expense of the white character. He said: “Eddie is the one who looks the fool and the bigot.” He added: “Are you also seeking to ban Are You Being Served and Dad’s Army and the Carry On movies?”
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I remember watching this show in the 70s with my family, along with Are you being served, On the busses and several others.
At the time, we thought the show was funny, but sometimes watching a program again may prove otherwise.
However, I do remember how the two characters interacted, at first Eddie is very against his neighbour but grows to like him towards the end of the series.
I suppose we can all let loose with some language when our mates let us down, and Eddie was no different.
Perhaps the show might be a way for us to see how far we’ve come, looking at the characters rather than the program itself.
As for me, I’d rather be chatting online than watching TV.
Wolfie!
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Embarrassing. They’d never admit it, but I bet they didn’t look at this before putting it on air…
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For Australian reference, see “Kingswood Country”
For US reference, see “All in the Family”
I suspect the writers used the immigrant or ‘different’ characters as foils to show the ignorance and stupidity of the older white men portrayed. The nuances may slip by some people. Not saying they’re any good as entertainment value, but don’t think their intention is racism.
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I actually think this show was quite effective at highlighting the stupidity of racial stereotyping. The white guy is an idiot, the black guy is quick-tempered and the wives are the peace-makers. I think it made its point quite well and with plenty of humour. Does this mean that a classic show like “Til Death Do Us Part” would no longer be viewed as acceptable? I would hope not.
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If I remember (and thank god it’s over 30 years since I’ve seen this so memory may be fuzzy) the main difference between the approach of this show and – for example – Til Death Us Do Part or even to some extent Kingswood Country, is the role the other characters play in establishing the norm from which the lead character deviates.
Alf Garnett uses a lot of the same language and is as racist, misogynist and ignorant as Eddie Booth. But whereas Alf was surrounded by his daughter, son-in-law etc who represented a ‘genuine’ audience view, I think this is missing in Love Thy Neighbour.
Even Kingswood Country saw Ted surrounded by a family and associates who clearly pointed out his shortcomings and racism – thereby parsing the subtext for the viewers. Ted and Alf are clearly portrayed as the odd one out in a world of better values and are therefore clearly ridiculed.
The main foil, if I remember, for Eddie Booth are the neighbours themselves – except for some tutting from Mrs Booth. Therefore, there isn’t the same mechanism to clearly place Eddie as the ridiculed outsider in the setup. By putting him as an equal in the relationship rather than the odd one out of a group of right-thinking folk, means his words are given more weight.
Wow – I analyse too much! I should just have agreed and said yes! Woeful show!
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Listen to the laughs on the soundtrack – half the time the audience are laughing along with his racist comments, not at his bigotry.
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Your memories are, indeed, short. Remember Eddie’s drinking buddies at the pub? The “I’ll ‘ave ‘arf” man and the rest? They are all an extremely tolerant lot, making the stupidity of Eddie’s views stand out even more. You have to remember that as disgusting as Eddie was, he represented views that were commonly held at the time (and arguably still are). The show had to be appealing enough to make those people want to watch, all the while subtly shaming them. I’m not saying this show was a masterpiece on the scale of “Til Death”, but it should not be dismissed as “the most racist sitcom ever”. That epithet belongs to Spike Milligan’s short-lived “Curry and Chips”!
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Ah, censorship – it solves all life’s problems doesn’t it?
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It is completely outrageous that they have put this to air. In fact, when I realised last week, I considered making a formal complaint. This show is pure evil and it saddens me to think that new generations will have to be subjected to it!
And as for Are You Being Served, Dad’s Army and the Carry On movies –
YES I would happily sign a petition to ban them!
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People forget that it was these kind of programs that paved the way for black people to enter mainstream comedy, first pioneered by Daffy Duck
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So its not ok to say “phrases such as “nig-nog”, “spade” and “Sambo”.” but the other guy gets called “White Boy” and “Pale skin poof”? Can you say double standards
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Love Thy Neighbour broke down a lot of barriers and bought the the whole racist thing to the surface really well. It put a magnifying glass on what was a real superiority complex for white Britain. I would be very surprised if we could hold up Kevin Bloody Wilson’s aboriginal comments uttered a full 20 years after Love Thy Neighbour and Till death had both died. Billy Birmingham twisting names into racial slurs still to this day tops charts.
You either have to accept that laughing at stereotypical type is okay or it isn’t. I know which world I want to live in.
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@T – rubbish – racism is racism and it doesn’t matter which race you are referring to, or whether 2 races berate each other – they are both wrong! This garbage should not be acceptable under ANY circumstances – let’s hope they change their programming and their Director of Programming!
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Nothing wrong with it – it’s how YOU act that matters, not what you watch on TV.
If you can chuckle or laugh at how inappropriate it is, then at least you can recognise it as being inappropriate – i’d be more concerned about the people who watch it with a straight face.
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You need to relax. No reasonable person is going to be offended by that show.
Key word = reasonable.
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Lighten up people, it was harmless fun and paved the way to greater tolerance and the overbearing politically correct society we live in today. I suppose the classic movie “Guess who’s coming to dinner” with Sidney Portier should be banned too! What about current (so called) comedy shows such as Mumbai Calling or terrorism shows such as 24 – lets ban the lot and just watch Masterchef – god help us!
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My experience tells me the people who are shocked and incensed by this kind of thing are struggling internally with the fact that they probably feel the same way as the people portrayed in the show … at least some of the time.
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I’m very surprised that this show went back on air. It was less than a year ago that I was curious about what happened to this program. I did a little investigation and found out that the program has not just been released to channel 7 to rerun on 7two but has also been released onto DVD as well by Fremantle Media who are the producers of programs such as The X Factor, Australian Idol, The Apprentice (Australian Edition), Masterchef and Australia’s Got Talent.
So I guess all the boycotts and petitions need to be addressed to them.
That said somebody at Fremantle Media must have known about the content of this program before on selling to channel 7. Could this act then make Fremantle Media in breach of Australia’s Race Discrimination laws and not channel 7?
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I watched an episode a few weeks ago on 7mate and came to the conclusion that we are a more tolerant society BECAUSE of shows like this. I imagine the usual suspects hitting the “I was outraged” button haven’t considered the fact that by ridiculing the popular racist attitudes of the day, these shows helped shape the mindset of the following generation.
Maybe we need a few of them to make a comeback.
The writers and producers of these shows knew exactly what they were doing. Yes, their main characters were racist, sexist, etc – but that was the point.
Eddie Booth, Alf Garnet, Archie Bunker and even our own Ted Bullpitt did us an enormous service. While the shows they starred in may not be comic masterpieces, I think their contribution to today’s more tolerant society should be honored – not condemned to the locked draw of television history.
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@ Adam Ashley et al….. I agree wholeheartedly. I lived in the UK at the time and the were a lot of Eddie Booths in my dads generation who have turned into great people with great racially attuned attitudes. English comedy has always been more a satirical comment on societal misfits. Nice to revisit and laugh at Eddie and his mates again.
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ah, that’s racist
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Is Australia genetically impervious to satire?
The show at time of writing was blatantly (like so many other shows of that era) using humour to highlight an important social issues. Of course the language is inappropriate by modern standards but it was 38 years ago too – that’s the whole point.
Chaucer was doing it 1340’s and even then the uneducated Poms understood that beneath the inappropriate language of the time was an important social message. Chaucer used humour and sexual innuendo to highlight abuse of power by the church, the writer of this show uses humour to highlight racism. Surely the Australian public deserve some credit to differentiate between satire and racism?
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Hey # 9 Alison – What’s wrong with the Carry On films – everyone loves a bit of double entendre don’t they?
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I just find it amazing how much shit television is back on TV under the guise of multi-channeling…. get rid of it I say.
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Your move 9 – does Daryl have any black facepaint left?
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You, the editor of this site, and the rest of you people who have nothing better to do with your lives than complain about things ought to just move on and do something productive. It was a show that was on some 30-40 years ago! It was acceptable at the time, the laugh tracks were just that, not a live audience reacting to the jokes!
Seriously dude, get a bloody life and stop being such a keyboard hero and get out actually live life and live in the real world for a change!
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OH please, get off your high horse, as a regular if not daily visiter to your site, I have never read such crap…mate your just after your own publicity.
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For God’s sake….when is all this “political correctness” going to stop !?!?!
It was a comedy show…tongue in cheek…both characters drew a good laugh from the audience…and it is 40 year old attitudes.
Methinks that the only people who are offended by any of this are the poor little “I haven’t got a life” or the “what can I make an issue of to get my name in print and hopefully make a name for myself”.
If this is the only thing that a large organisation, or it’s reporters, such as Mumbrella can find to have a whinge about, then I suggest that maybe they are in trouble in the market and are clutching at straws. Grow up and learn to laugh! And as for the clown who had his say on 7’s Sunrise this morning…to quote ‘Stuart’ -“mate your just after your own publicity”. The term LOSER comes to mind.
If this is the best Mumbrella has to offer, then I think they are on a very steep downward slide.
The world is slowly, but ever so surely going down the tubes, and it is my very strong belief that it is the fault of the “warm and fuzzy”, “touchy feely”, “tree hugging” “politically correct” kumbayar “do-gooders” in the world that are to blame.
If the good Lord had meant all races to co-habitate, then why did He “place” the different races in different parts of the world, and indeed why did He create so many different races with such diverse physical difference? Just some food for thought.
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So when the English boys come out for the ashes, will we refrain from calling them poms? How far should we take this? Should Sony recall all the 12th Man’s records and Burn them all with Kevin Bloody Wilsons. Will now stop showing Fawlty Towers because John Cleese asking us not mention the war to the germans?
GET OVER IT.
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I’m afraid that most Australians think that Satire is what you use to drive along the beach!
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we’re indian and my parents LOVED this show when we were kids. they still talk about it fondly.
Yes, it’s pollitcally incorrect, but my parents were drawn to this show because it mirrored their experience when they migrated to Australia in 1979.
For that reason, I can’t call this TV show racist. However, I can call “Hey Hey it’s Saturday” a crime against humanity.
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…and yet you were all so offended by Stephanie Rice using questionable language on Twitter… one could argue that Twitter is the latest satirical medium.
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@ Alison. What makes you think that we were all offended by one athlete questioning another atheltes preference in football codes; and then using a derogative term to address that athlete. I heard Ian Roberts at Brookvale Oval call an ex souths team mate a much more derogatory term than faggot and offer some sexual services besides.
Alison if you look beneath the surface you often find gems and gold. I suggest you get off your high horse and look below the surface and you will see the surface might be dirty but there truly are some gems worth finding if you dig deep enough into even love thy neighbour. Happy Digging.
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GET A LIFE. It’s a comedy show not real life. I’m English or as you guys like to call me “POM” but I don’t winge & whine about it I just cop it & carry on. Sticks & stones!!!!!!!!!
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When this aired I was at school in London with kids with West Indian heritage. We all laughed about it. We all knew Eddie Booth to be a bigot. If someone made an off comment we would call them Eddie Booth.
When Pakistan last toured here I remember them being referred to on TV as ”the Paki’s”. This is offensive to them and would never go to air in the UK.
If you want to see real racist and cringingly lame comedy check out “Heil Honey I’m Home” on Youtube. The premise is that the Hitlers live in an apartment block in next to a Jewish family.
It feigns to be a 50’s American sitcom but was made in enlightened Britain in 1990. It was cancelled after the first episode was aired. Watch it and you will see why.
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I just watched the clip, and unless I’m wrong, isn’t the the joke is more on the white couple??
Esp the white guy, he acts a fool while the black couple are far more down to earth.
I don’t know if it’s actually all that offensive when you consider the dynamic between them, I know it’s only a show but you get the impression they might even be fond of each other even thought they take the mick..although as a program it’s at risk of offending more sensitive people, and you got to consider that.. maybe it gets worse
The black guy sure is handsome too!
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What political correctness, nor honkies (i.e. you middle class white folk), ever seems to address in the racism debate is that it’s not the words but the message that may cause offence.
My scenario, in the 70s I was the only black kid in an nearly all white primary school (50% European backgrounds, 45% Anglo, %5 other), I loved the show, didn’t find it offensive, BUT when some little Aussie f**ks called ME a ‘nig nog’ I would take offence and generally address this racism physically.
Just my view from the minority, the majority hardly ever see any racism, they just say get over it.
Next you’ll tell me that Australia isn’t a racist country!
P.S. Now if the generally endearing term POM referred to the Empire that raped and pillaged their way through Europe does i, that might make it offensivet?
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I would also like to see re-runs of those wonderful Black and White Minstrel Shows. Typical of the political corrrect commisars to censor such harmless family entertainment.
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So what are your thoughts on Mark Twain? In Huck Finn there are lines like this.
“conscience says to me ‘What had poor Miss Watson done to you, that you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes and never say one single word?.”
I’m shocked, black people as PROPERTY! It was set in 1835 in the American South, so it does kind of make sense. But what about section 1.9.6 code of practice thingy? Should we ban Huck?
Love Thy Neighbour has to be viewed through an historical lens. It’s an ancient curio that was probably needed at the time to stoke the conversation about race. It had impact back then. Society has progressed a bit since, and you don’t hear “nig-nog” much these days. Watching an episode won’t suddenly turn our children into racists.
The real questions are about the decision the schedule the show in the first place. Okay, part of a big package, but should it just sit on the shelf? Is this 70s “satire” right for the brand? What kind of advertising revenue will it attract? You know, all of that businessy marketing programming demographics sales stuff Burrows is usually talking about.
Mumbrella should’ve posted this in the 6:30 pm time slot, right after the speed camera story.
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Will they be airing Love Thy Neighbour Down Under?
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anyone got Jim Davidson’s number?
I think if it was funny it would be less of an issue, even John Cleese has said Fawlty Tower would never be made if it was made 20 years later.
But, in saying that racist words are racist and really if the BFI have come out and openly condemned the show it raises 2 questions.
1. Why was it for sale rather than buried?
2. Why are 7 showing it?
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These comments read like like a bunch of Gen X/Y-ers, indoctrinated in political correctness from birth, denied the chance to think for themselves, and forbidden to have a sense of historical perspective or humour. I suppose you’d also destroy all copies of Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” because of its anti-semitic themes. Yes, it had them, but that was the year 1605 and things were different then. Benny Hill shows were sexist, but they reflect a different era, different values. That list is centuries long, so I won’t itemise it.
You don’t learn from history if you try to erase it. Perhaps some of these critics should read Orwell’s “1984”. It was a warning, not an instruction manual.
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What about the anti-semitic portrayal of characters such as Fagin in Oliver Twist? Dickens did this with intent as his parents were put in debtors prison by Jewish moneylenders. Should we eschew “Oliver” this Christmas?
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Let’s not all turn into Harry Connick Jnr here.
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I feel sorry for the generation that missed out on such shows and racism like this.It’s worse nowadays with later things like Housos and Here come the Habibs plus Fresh off the boat.but FOTB is nothing like the other two.It’s classy and refined kind of new immigrants
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What exactly is your objection to Dad’s Army? One of the greatest and most loved sitcoms ever made, and not the slightest bit “racist”…
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