One Foot in The Grave slapped with warning over ‘offensive content’

One Foot in The Grave latest show to be deemed offensive (Picture: BBC/Getty)

One Foot In The Grave is the latest classic comedy to be slapped with a warning for including ‘offensive content’.

The series which followed grump Victor Meldrew (played by Richard Wilson) ran for six series from 1990 to 2000, attracting 18million viewers at its peak.

However, joining a long list of shows which through a 2021 lens have been deemed offensive, One Foot In The Grave has been given a warning on Britbox, with most episodes being marked for ‘mild language’.

According to Daily Star, however, the episode titled Love and Death, has been given a stronger warning for containing ‘outdated language of the period’.

The episode in question sees Victor and his wife Margaret (Annette Crosbie) go on holiday to Bournemouth and are told there are two ‘midgets’ in their bathroom, which Victor mishears as ‘midges’.

He subsequently bursts into the bathroom armed with bug spray to find three men with dwarfism who are performers in a theatre show half naked.

The episode Love and Death was given a stricter warning (Picture: Getty/BBC)

The term ‘midget’ is offensive to people with dwarfism and often referred to as the ‘m-word’.

‘Midget’ has no medical connotations and has a historical connection to people with dwarfism being employed by circuses.

A spokesman for BritBox said: ‘We review and refresh BritBox’s programme catalogue on an ongoing basis.

More: Richard Wilson

‘Programming on the service that contains potentially sensitive language or attitudes of their era has carried appropriate warnings since our launch in November 2019, to ensure the right guidance is in place for viewers who are choosing to watch on demand.’

One Foot in The Grave follows many shows to be branded with warnings while others have been pulled from streaming services entirely.

Last year John Cleese was furious when UKTV pulled an episode of Fawlty Towers while Little Britain, The Mighty Boosh and The League of Gentleman were all dropped from BBC iPlayer.

One Foot in The Grave is available to stream on Britbox.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.