Should 7TWO screen Love Thy Neighbour?
What's worse: politically incorrect nostalgia or TV bans?
- Published by David Knox
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In an interview with News Corp. Ray Martin has questioned whether 7TWO should be screening 1970s UK sitcom Love Thy Neighbour.
The series, which airs at 10.30am and 4am from Thursday, revolves around a working class couple struggling with their black neighbours. It ran for 4 years from 1972 – 1976 before an Australian sequel, but its writers have claimed that each episode included both anti-white and anti-black sentiment.
Ray Martin, currently working on an indigenous series for SBS called First Contact, told the newspaper he was surprised racist legislation doesn’t block it from airing.
“The idea that this can be something that we can joke about — it’s not up there for ridicule at all. It’s insensitive, and it’s very hurtful, and it comes at a time when Australians are trying to deal with this kind of scourge of mental illness among Aboriginal people,” he said.
“It can’t pretend to be funny anymore. It’s just hurtful and cruel. It’s not meant to encourage of course, but it really shouldn’t be there for people to laugh at.”
Australia’s Race Discrimination Commissioner Dr Soutphommansane said, “I can understand why some people may find the contents of this program upsetting.
“At the same time, people should appreciate that Love Thy Neighbour is a program that was made in the 1970s, in part to critique racist attitudes.”
A spokesman for Seven said “Love Thy Neighbour is one of those English comedies of its time and Eddie [the white character] who is quite rightly portrayed as a fool and a bigot.”
It’s a tricky dilemma. Two nights ago Seven played Homicide in which women weren’t treated with much consideration. Should we also ban Kingswood Country, Benny Hill? What about Are You Being Served? for the way both gay men and women were stereotyped? Frankly I would watch All in the Family in a heartbeat. Same for ‘Allo ‘Allo.
Personally I would be more uncomfortable with bans than with screening historic shows (Hey Dad! is an exception for other reasons).
Watching someone being racist does not mean I will become such. The idea of history is that we learn from it, surely.
Thinking adults should be able to choose to watch social history and learn from it, or have the choice not to participate. I choose not to participate in the comedic musings of Mrs. Brown’s Boys.
The fact this is being made in 2014 is far more offensive than Love Thy Neighbour.
30 Responses
” ‘alf a pint”…or am I thinking of the wrong show. 🙂
I liked it back in the day, might record it and watch the 1st episode just to see how cringeworthy it is now.
Was it ‘Honky’ and ‘Sambo’ the insults traded?
Did anybody else buy Umbrella’s DVD reissue of Love Thy Neighbour? On the first DVD they had the original unaired pilot and a different woman played Eddie’s wife. I can’t help thinking that they thought that actress was too attractive so they recast the role with a less glamorous woman. The theme song was also re-recorded when the second pilot was made.
Love Thy Neighbour was a classic funny series & should be shown on 7TWO. Some people need to build a bridge & get over it.
7two already screened this a couple of years ago on a saturday evening along with mind your language there was no outrage then
@DragonLass I agree with everything you said.
I think people are crazy these days, actually Ray Martin is the crazy one here!! If he doesn’t like the show, he doesn’t have to watch it.
Admittedly this one is more blatant about it, but many shows of that era (and before, and after) display outdated attitudes (Madame Tango put it very well). I’m surprised no one has mentioned Mind Your Language.
The show was written to obviously show a bigot and every show ended with Eddie Booth getting his medicine from his neighbours or wife, that is what the writers were getting across that bigotry always loses out, but it seems Ray Martin wants to still be in the TV limelight if he could not see the purpose of the show
This show was about a bigot…who always got his come up ens from his neighbours and his wife…showing his whole outlook was off…and there are still people like that now…
You cannot ban bigots in general…they will always be around.
Political Correctness has been taken too far in so many areas. The “bans” are far worse than the shows in question here.
Most people start shouting “racism” at any opportunity without even understanding what the word means!
These shows have great irony and self-depreciating humour. It is a reminder of an easier time when we were able to laugh at oursleves and were not offended by every stupid comment people made about us … it was their problem, not ours … why make it your problem?
Those who want to complain about these shows need to get their noses out of other people’s viewing habits and get on with their own lives! 🙂
The thing is – shows like this highlighted racism and made fun of it. Eddie was fat and ugly – Bill was tall, good looking and successful. And the women (although chained to the sink) were smarter than their men. Have any of these people complaining even watched the show. As people have said – there are way worse out there.
I don’t recall black leads in too many shows of the era from any country! The wives gave as got as they got, and the blokes were as bad as each other, but if i had to say which side the program leaned towards it was more towards showing up the bigotry of Eddie.
I loved his wife; she stood for no guff! I rediscovered it a couple of years ago, and it was fascinating to see it so many years after; and to reflect on attitudes.
@dragonlass, i really liked your comment.
It’s got a PG rating… that’s about all that is required imo.
The show actually does a pretty decent job of using satire to highlight racist views and hypocrisy. But as someone else said, Til Death Do Us Part did it better.
Love Thy Neighbour is a part of TV history and watched in context, both the men are played as foolish as each other in their attitudes.
Now if you want something really offensive and full of vile stereotypes, trying watching The Bolt Report. If you can …
Why fret about something that hardly anyone will watch…..its like an old curiosity…Also comedic figures rarely inspire hatred or division, they are characters that you either laugh with or laugh at
Agree, it shouldn’t be banned. Its a time capsule, a window to our past. Also as an Eastenders fan, it’s fun to see “Patrick” when he was young. Ray Martin has extreme views on a few things IMO.
Yes definately should be shown. I grew up in 70’a UK and it’s how people spoke back then. There was a flood of migrants from overseas and everyone was ignorant. Historically it is very accurate as you can tell from the studio audience laughing at all the racist jokes. But best of all the ignorant racist white guy is shown to be the loser at the end
You can make as many excuses and justifications for “Love Thy Neighbour” as you want, but it’s a horrible show with horrible attitudes and should really be left in the dumpster of history.
I watched it in the 80s and thought it was revolting then, I can’t see how my attitude to it would’ve improved since.
History needs to be re-watched, even if it’s ugly. But it’s a shame we re-watch dumb shows like Love Thy Neighbour and not something a bit more clever like Till Death Us Do Part.
Id prefer it if they left Dr Oz in that 10:30am timeslot. I hope Seven bring back Dr Oz somewhete at least.
Will they be screening Love Thy Neighbour in Australia where he moves to Blacktown?
Well, from a history point of view, it is definately a good thing to watch these kind of shows where a different attitude prevailed to get an understanding of the times, and seeing how far (or not far) we’ve come as a society. Trying to whitewash history serves more harm than good. For instance, my favourite area of study in history is the time between WWI and WWII. You can see a lot of the mistakes that were made then are being made again now.
Looking at racism through the years, especially the past century or so, is also fascinating. You can argue that we’ve come a long way in some resoects, but actually gotten worse in some others.
Anyway, all that aside, I do wonder if the potential audience for these reruns really cares about any of that, or are just people who would watch it and find it funny on face value.
At TDT Martin campaign against censorship and for freedom of expression. Now he wants criminal laws to prosecute people for showing or watching old sitcoms he doesn’t like.
Show how out of hand and dangerous thing have gotten when we are talking about banning art because one person claims to be offended.
The UK and EU may being jumping down that rabbit hole but hopefully we have more common sense.
Don’t see a problem.They recently showed Kingswood Country on 7TWO and I don’t recall reading any outrage.
I echo your thoughts exactly, David. love thy neighbour was 40 years ago – there are far worse examples in the culture right now. I think people view it for what it was; which was broad and somewhat divisive.