25 Responses to “Jim Sullivan AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT on Only Fools cuts”

  1. Rachel says:

    Some of the lines they removed are absolutely ridiculous. I get the world ‘changes’ but the comments arent made in a vicious way & certain people need to understand that this is the british humour. If you dont like dont watch.
    But I dont understand how its ok to leave in the ‘whitest man’ line but remove everything else that even remotely points to using certain words or talking about other races/people. Its impossible to be racist towards whites seemly, people use comments like that to us and we dont care. Maybe because we have got a sense of hunour and wer not uptight & like to complain at the slightest thing.

  2. Dawud says:

    I was just watching Hole in one and the lines where Albert says ‘Paki’ are left in. How is that acceptable but saying ‘Patel’ a surname isn’t? Very strange.

  3. Dawud says:

    These edits are a complete joke. How can the BBC justify airing at lunchtime the series ‘Doctors’ which many times contains storylines that are of a very sexual nature? How can they show storylines showing gay relationships, men kissing etc at lunchtime yet with Only Fools they cut things that are very tame. So now its not allowed to say anything anti gay etc yet they can say what they like about other minority groups.

  4. Rob M says:

    These cuts are an absolute sheer joke now.

    I can understand the occasional line, which sadly had to be removed, but it’s worse than ever now, it’s just an excuse to hack an episode of OFAH to pieces.

    how silly are things going to get? will Del stepping in baked beans whilst barefoot from ‘Fatal Extraction’ be cut, due to it being disrespectful to tins of Heinz?

  5. Griff says:

    Slightly off-topic but does anyone know what Jim and Dan Sullivan are working on at the moment?

    Wikipedia said that Jim had a sitcom written which was being reviewed by commissioning editors but that was put up quite a few years ago.

    Also curious to know if the boys look like their father. Can’t find any interviews with either of them.

  6. Rob M says:

    Trying to remove the sirname ‘Patel’ from the episodes is absolutely pathetic.

    there is nothing racist about saying ‘Patel’ it’s an Indian person’s sirname for petes sake!

    I understand why some cuts have to be removed – but removing ‘Patel’ is absolutely ridiculous.

  7. Griff says:

    I wonder if there’s any update on this problem?

    Has anybody compiled a list of episodes that initially were cut and now are not, which is available to buy?

  8. Deleted says:

    Censorship in any form is disgusting and pathetic. I just want the originals to be released –in one way or another — to the public in their intact uncut form, therefore circumventing all the bbc’s bull.

  9. stevie wilson says:

    I dont see how the BBC can show daytime repeats when they gave licence to UK Gold to do the same. Are UK Gold versions uncut (other than ad breaks)? Proof the BBC dont care two hoots about the public – days before Christmas they include on the viewing schedule a Take That concert which no doubt millions of people had bought on DVD or Bluray to give as a gift to friends or family. Why do that so close to Christmas?

    The BBC have history of cannibalising shows, if anyone has bought the Young Ones on DVD over the years they are nothing compared to the originally transmitted versions. In fact one of the 2nd series episodes had a scene ENTERED which wasn’t on telly and some other scenes ripped out completely!
    Get it sorted BBC, look after the fans for once and not just look at cheap and easy ways to fill the coffers again!

  10. Barbara says:

    What stopped them from airing uncut episodes at a later time? I can only guess at the random editing being because the repeats were run in a 2-3 pm slot.

  11. MC says:

    What BBC is doing is a rape of cultural heritage.

    They never considered that someone from Albania might be offended because of of ridiculing car radios, or someone from Mauritius because of ridiculing computers, or someone from Fiji because of ridiculing ski outfit, or someone from former Yugoslavia (now 7 countries – Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia) because of ridiculing Riesling, or someone from Romania because of ridiculing suits, or someone from Australia because of ridiculing looks of local woman etc.

    No, BBC cuts out only what UK government thinks that will “offend” fanatics currently living in UK. The result is quite opposite – cuts offend majority of UK population and the majority of global population, for the sake of going down the hair of fanatical minority that should be conditioned to accept standards of local culture if it intends to maintain UK citizenship and hospitality.

    BBC is so uptight, that if they owned Delacroix’s “Liberty Leading the People”, they’d probably paint new shirt over torn one that exposes breast, just not to “offend” those who think woman should wear dresses that resemble Ghillie suits.

  12. Griff says:

    Forgot to add that, such a sad society we live in that we have to pussy-foot around certain cultures ‘just incase we offend’.

    Stuff any culture that may be offended, OFAH is what it is. It’s mainly an 80’s sitcom and certain words and phrases were acceptable back then.

    How anyone can be offended by anything on the TV – it’s not real!

  13. Griff says:

    Jim,

    Thank you for going out of your way to clarify.

    Your Dad is simply a genius in all our eyes. We can never be grateful enough.

  14. Dene says:

    A most interesting read, thanks for posting.

    The greatest sitcom the BBC has ever produced deserves the utmost respect IMO. It should never be subject to *any* cuts, if at all possible. ‘Fawlty Towers’ never is – can you imagine the uproar if they cut a single scene out of it? Why is Only Fools not accorded the same privilege?

    What happened with “Sleeping Dogs Lie”, anyone? Any episode I knew to be uncut on DVD, I didn’t bother with in the repeat season.

  15. dafty says:

    the bbc should just leave it alone its pure wrighting genius from john sullivan. i would like to thank jim for puting the statement up for us all to read. i cant understand why they cut it on the bbc when gold is a bbc owned compay (so i am led to belive) and they dont cut it on there its pc gone mad leave the clasics alone bbc.

  16. oliver says:

    I agree with Tracey Fotheringham. The BBC doesnt care about only fools anymore. Its made them all the money that it can so they are not bothered. Let GOLD show it as it was intended. They did an excellent job of re-mastering it it looked lovely. They know how to treat the classic comedies, not just only fools, but steptoe, open all hours, porridge all get treated with respect. I doubt we will ever get a ‘proper’ release of the show uncut as it was intended as the BBC doesnt want to know. I think the BBC showed it during the day cos it knew no one would be there to watch it and notice them do a hatchet job.

  17. Ronnie says:

    Hi Jim, if you are reading this page, and you would not mind, can you please answer a few questions about the DVD cuts. I know these do not relate to the TV edits and are not as bad.

    1.Do you know if your dad ever got asked by the BBC to edit episodes for the DVD release?

    2.What is your opinion on the DVD edits if you have seen them?

    3.Do you think episodes should only be released uncut? and not released at all if they have to be cut.

    Many Thanks in advance, Ronnie.

  18. stephen gwinnett says:

    i think the bbc will just keep hacking away at all the only fools episodes until they have reduced all 64 episodes into one single 90 mins episode, they really are a bunch of plonkers.

    i wonder why they broadcast only fools in the afternoons when most people are out at work and not in the evenings when there would be a larger audience,

    looking forward to watching david jasons new sitcom ‘the royal bodyguard’, does anybody remember a 1977-81 sitcom starring david jason ‘a sharp intake of breath’ , i always thought this was a very funny comedy, why sir david jason has blocked the release of this is a mystery.

    • Ronnie says:

      There is a clip here:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKStIwm7YXM
      According to the Youtube page, jason was not happy with himself in it.

      • stephen gwinnett says:

        i have 12 episodes of ‘a sharp intake of breath’ on dvd, it’s not an official release though purchased of the internet recently, quality of picture quite good, i found it quite funny, if it wasn’t for me watching david jason in this itv sitcom first, i would not have got into ‘only fools & horses’ and everything else he did afterwoods .

  19. Steve G says:

    Thanks for posting the statement up here for us all to read. For the BBC to treat their greatest ever sitcom in the ways he described is an absolute disgrace. The only comfort I can take from the BBC’s slapdash approach to the episodes they showed over the summer is that it seems it’s made Jim and his family even more intent on protecting the shows legacy and under the cirucmstances this can only be a good thing for us all fans.

  20. Tracey Fotheringham says:

    Quite frankly folks, let’s forget the BBC altogether. Jim, Dan, and the whole Sullivan clan have enough to cope with anyway, without the BEEB getting all PC.

    It is clear to me that the BBC don not want to show anymore OFAH, so why not let GOLD carry on showing them. They have re-mastered them all, they show them without the cuts, and they show them all the time, which for all of us OFAH addicts is wonderful, to have Del and Rodders on tap for the whole weekend is a dream come true!

    I think the BBC have a damn cheek, when you think what we pay for our licences. Seems bloody strange that none of the other shows get cut about doesn’t it!!!!

  21. Ronnie says:

    Its a shame that the BBC dont care anymore.

  22. daniel says:

    This is a very Interesting read..

    I agree that some things had to be taken out, due to time constraints and Bad language during the day etc etc..

    But the BBC are a joke, I hate how if a show gets, say… 1 million viewers and just 14 people complain, they seem to adhere to the opinion of the 14 nitwits who have complained,(with may i say.. have too much time on their hands) – Than the vast majority of people.

    I like many other fans of the show, Remain constantly baffled with the BBC’s idea of Political correctness in the 21st century.

    Denzil says “Whitest man i,ve ever seen” No Problem

    Roy Slater says “Black as newgates knocker”

    I bet they are practically sh!tting themselves

    The bbc are a joke, and i must say – The DVD boxset is equally ridiculous

    *** What next – Don’t offend the Germans, Don’t offend North Korea, Don’t Offend This, Don;t offend That…

    The only thing the BBC offend is the license payer… You and Me

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