Polish TV cuts Little Britain gay vicar sketch

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Polish state broadcaster TVP announced yesterday it had censored a Little Britain sketch due to its portrayal of gay characters.

Around one minute of an episode of the comedy show was cut.

It showed popular character Daffyd (Matt Lucas), “the only gay in the village”, manning a sex toy stall at a church fete, and a gay vicar kissing his boyfriend (David Walliams).

TVP spokesperson Aneta Wrona said: “We decided to cut a scene which could cause controversy among Polish viewers and which isn’t exactly in line with our mission as a public television channel,” according to News.Sawf.org.

“British viewers are more open and indulgent than their Polish counterparts.

“It’s a different sense of humour, and one which is sometimes incomprehensible for the Polish public.”

Wrona pointed out that this was the first time that TVP had censored the programme.

She also held that TVP has the right to cut scenes from the programme under its contract with the BBC.

Oliver Rawlins, Senior Press Officer for Global TV Sales and Marketing at BBC Worldwide, told PinkNews:

“BBC Worldwide sells many thousands of hours of programming to broadcasters all around the world.

“We do of course have strict guidelines to ensure that none of our programmes suffer as they travel internationally.

“But within these guidelines, we recognise that broadcasters sometimes choose to make edits to fit their needs.”

The comedy programme has enjoyed huge success since its launch in 2004.

The show was awarded two Baftas in 2005 and its catchphrases are widely-known.

Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber recently said that he thought making a Little Britain musical would be a “great idea”.

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Speaking on The Graham Norton Show Lord Webber said:

“The only thing my kids wanted to do was see Little Britain.

“Forget Monty Python now.

On having the idea for the musical put to him, he commented:

“Why not? It’s a great idea, I can’t see any reason why not.”

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