This 1970's sitcom is now considered appalling in its content and premise, and people of later decades and changed sensitivities wonder how it ever came to be made. The short answer is... things were different then. And yes, it's a sitcom about race and racism, particularly the unthinking reflex racism of one white bigot who is appalled to discover his new neighbours are.... not white. So a lot of the language used by Eddie Booth is, by modern sensitivities, unspeakable.
If that were all to this sitcom, it would be a forgotten and unlamented thing of its times. Compare it to its contemporary, Spike Milligan's Curry and Chips, which with Milligan in brownface playing a Pakistani is a one-trick show, presenting nothing more than a string of loosely connected racist assumptions. Nobody remembers C&C or seeks it out on YouTube. But people who remember LTY remember it fondly, buy the series on DVD, and seek it out on the Net. Count the hits on YT.
There is the paradox here of a show loathed by critics, thought beyond the civilised pale by social commentators, yet profoundly loved by fans. It will never be seen on TV again.
Why defend it? Well, for one thing it's actually a superlative sitcom. It combines almost perfect casting with sharp, acid, scripts delivered by capable comic actors. This is a thing rare in the world of sitcom.
Yes, it's about a white racist who uses words that made people wince even in 1974. But as with the BBC's Alf Garnett, the joke ultimately rebounds on the ignorant racist bigot. The scripts make this clear. Eddie Booth never wins. As with many British comedy protagonists - Tony Hancock comes to mind here - the comedy lead is a conceited pompous oaf, a mediocrity with an exaggerated sense of his own importance - but also vulnerable and hard to hate. He has just enough redeeming qualities. You can feel sorry for him when his schemes fail and he's humiliated. And Bill Reynolds, when you get past the superficiality of his being black, is not just a token minority, a cardboard character for Eddie to throw epithets at. He is a fully rounded human being with strengths and flaws. Which in 1974 was rare for a black actor on TV.
This show opened people up to racism, and subtly challenged it. Look below the surface.
wickedly funny- a guilty pleasure.
This 1970's sitcom is now considered appalling in its content and premise, and people of later decades and changed sensitivities wonder how it ever came to be made. The short answer is... things were different then. And yes, it's a sitcom about race and racism, particularly the unthinking reflex racism of one white bigot who is appalled to discover his new neighbours are.... not white. So a lot of the language used by Eddie Booth is, by modern sensitivities, unspeakable.
If that were all to this sitcom, it would be a forgotten and unlamented thing of its times. Compare it to its contemporary, Spike Milligan's Curry and Chips, which with Milligan in brownface playing a Pakistani is a one-trick show, presenting nothing more than a string of loosely connected racist assumptions. Nobody remembers C&C or seeks it out on YouTube. But people who remember LTY remember it fondly, buy the series on DVD, and seek it out on the Net. Count the hits on YT.
There is the paradox here of a show loathed by critics, thought beyond the civilised pale by social commentators, yet profoundly loved by fans. It will never be seen on TV again.
Why defend it? Well, for one thing it's actually a superlative sitcom. It combines almost perfect casting with sharp, acid, scripts delivered by capable comic actors. This is a thing rare in the world of sitcom.
Yes, it's about a white racist who uses words that made people wince even in 1974. But as with the BBC's Alf Garnett, the joke ultimately rebounds on the ignorant racist bigot. The scripts make this clear. Eddie Booth never wins. As with many British comedy protagonists - Tony Hancock comes to mind here - the comedy lead is a conceited pompous oaf, a mediocrity with an exaggerated sense of his own importance - but also vulnerable and hard to hate. He has just enough redeeming qualities. You can feel sorry for him when his schemes fail and he's humiliated. And Bill Reynolds, when you get past the superficiality of his being black, is not just a token minority, a cardboard character for Eddie to throw epithets at. He is a fully rounded human being with strengths and flaws. Which in 1974 was rare for a black actor on TV.
This show opened people up to racism, and subtly challenged it. Look below the surface.