Award-winning comedy becomes latest hit show to be slapped with woke trigger warnings in crackdown by the BBC
HIT mockumentary sitcom The Office has been slapped with 'discriminatory language' trigger warnings by BBC bosses.
Five episodes of Ricky Gervais 's award-winning show on iPlayer have been flagged.
1
All 14 episodes are available on the streaming service.
Its two series, with Gervais as paper company branch boss David Brent, carry a 'G' rating to indicate adult humour.
But some episodes also carry the additional warning.
In the first series, debut episode Downsize — first aired in July 2001 — and the sixth episode Judgement are hit with the alert.
And from series two, the first, third and fifth — Merger, Party and Charity — also carry the warnings.
The Office won a clutch of awards in its time — most notably scooping a Golden Globe in 2004 for Best Television Series, the first British comedy to win.
It was co-written and co-created by Gervais and Stephen Merchant, and went on to spawn a successful US version starring Steve Carell.
The Office's alerts come after the BBC also put disclaimers about offensive or outdated language on episodes of Only Fools and Horses from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
In February, Channel 4 was branded 'humourless' for flagging a series of Father Ted on its catch-up.
Broadcasters also hit Bafta-winning C4 sitcom The IT Crowd with advisories, with one warning: 'This episode was made in 2006 and contains strong, strong/offensive derogatory language and adult humour.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
9 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Mo Chara says ‘I'm a free man' as Kneecap take to Glastonbury stage
Kneecap member Mo Chara said 'Glastonbury, I'm a free man' as the Irish rap trio took to the West Holts Stage at the festival on Saturday. The group, who hail from Belfast, have been in the headlines after member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence. The 27-year-old wore a keffiyeh during the set, while member JJ O Dochartaigh, who performs under the name DJ Provai, wore his signature tri-coloured balaclava as well as a T-shirt that said: 'We are all Palestine Action' in reference to the soon-to-be banned campaign group. News broadcasts criticising the hip hop trio played from the sound system before they walked onto the stage were booed by the Glastonbury Festival audience. Access to the area around the West Holts Stage was closed around 45 minutes before their performance after groups of fans arrived to form a sea of Irish and Palestinian flags. Rap punk duo Bob Vylan performed on the stage before Kneecap and led the crowd in chants of 'Free, free Palestine' and 'Death, death to the IDF'. In the run up to the festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset, several politicians called for Kneecap to be removed from the line-up and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said their performance would not be 'appropriate'. Earlier on Saturday, the BBC confirmed they would not be live-streaming the set but said the performance is likely to be made available on-demand later. A BBC spokesperson said: 'As the broadcast partner, the BBC is bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers. 'While the BBC doesn't ban artists, our plans ensure that our programming meets our editorial guidelines. 'We don't always live-stream every act from the main stages and look to make an on-demand version of Kneecap's performance available on our digital platforms, alongside more than 90 other sets.' It is understood the BBC needs to consider the performance before making a final decision. The band said on Instagram: 'The propaganda wing of the regime has just contacted us…. 'They WILL put our set from Glastonbury today on the iPlayer later this evening for your viewing pleasure.' O hAnnaidh, 27, was charged with allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah, while saying 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at a gig in November last year. On June 18 the rapper was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he arrived with bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and O Dochartaigh at Westminster Magistrates' Court in Free Mo Chara T-shirts. He was released on unconditional bail until the next hearing at the same court on August 20. Ahead of the group's performance, Gemma Gibson, 41, from Newcastle told the PA news agency that she was 'really excited' to see Kneecap perform. Asked if their set should have been cancelled amid the ongoing controversy, she said: 'Well, that would be completely against everything that Glastonbury stands for… This is where they should be.' Alternative metal band Deftones were due to play on Saturday night but their slot has now been filled by rapper Skepta. A social media post from Glastonbury Festival said: 'Deftones have been forced to cancel tonight's 8.30pm Other Stage performance due to illness in the band. 'Skepta will kindly step-in, taking the stage at 9pm. 'He says: 'Let's go!!! No crew, no production but am ready to shut Glastonbury down. Victory lap time. Pre-Big Smoke 2025!'' Playing on Saturday afternoon was Leeds rock band Kaiser Chiefs and US star Brandi Carlile, who released an album with Sir Elton John earlier in the year. Irish singer CMAT, who played the Pyramid Stage on Friday, performed a secret set at the BBC Introducing stage on Saturday. Neil Young, best known for songs such as Rockin' In The Free World, Like A Hurricane and Cinnamon Girl, will headline the Pyramid Stage on Saturday night with his band the Chrome Hearts. The BBC will broadcast Young's set after previously saying it would not be shown 'at the artist's request'. Another act expected to draw a big crowd is Brat star Charli XCX, who will headline the Other Stage around the same time Young and Grammy Award-winning rapper Doechii will also perform. Celebrities who have been spotted at the festival include singer Harry Styles, Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne, The Crown actor Emma Corrin, and Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn. Performing in the coveted Sunday legends slot this year is Sir Rod Stewart, who previously said he will be joined by his former Faces band member Ronnie Wood, as well as other guests.
Powys County Times
9 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Channel 4 to air BBC-commissioned documentary Gaza: Doctors Under Attack
Channel 4 will air a documentary about the plight of medics in Gaza after the BBC last week announced that it would not show the film following concerns it may create 'a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect'. The BBC had originally commissioned Gaza: Doctors Under Attack more than a year ago from an independent production company called Basement Films but had delayed airing it until an ongoing review into a different programme on the region was completed. The one-off documentary, which includes witness accounts from frontline Palestinian health workers in Gaza and documents attacks on hospitals and clinics, will now air on Channel 4 on July 2 at 10pm. The film has been 'fact-checked and compiled by Channel 4 to ensure it meets Channel 4 editorial standards and the Ofcom Broadcasting Code', an announcement said. Louisa Compton, Channel 4's head of news and current affairs and specialist factual and sport, said in a statement: 'This is a meticulously reported and important film examining evidence which supports allegations of grave breaches of international law by Israeli forces that deserves to be widely seen and exemplifies Channel 4's commitment to brave and fearless journalism.' In an op-ed, Ms Compton further explained: 'We are showing this programme because we believe that, following thorough fact-checking and verification, we are presenting a duly impartial view of a subject that both divides opinion and frequently provokes dispute about what constitutes a fact. 'Channel 4 has a strong tradition of putting uncomfortable reporting in front of our audiences. In doing so, we know we will antagonise somebody somewhere sometime. But we do it because we believe it is our duty to tell important journalistic stories – especially those that aren't being told elsewhere.' She added: 'Doctors Under Attack was commissioned by another broadcaster, which took a different view of the original content and decided not to broadcast it. 'That other broadcaster will have had its own reasons for not showing the programme. 'For ourselves, after rigorous fact-checking and assessing the film against our own editorial criteria as well as against all regulatory requirements, we decided that it was both compliant with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, but also that it was important journalism in the public interest. 'Any small changes were carried out with the producers to update the film and give viewers as much information as possible. 'The result is harrowing, no doubt. It will make people angry, whichever side they take, or if they take no side. 'But while we would never judge anyone who decides that showing something could create a risk of being thought to be taking sides, we believe there are times when the same risk is run by not showing anything at all.' Basement Films said: 'This is the third film we have made about the assault on Gaza since October 7th at Basement Films, and whilst none of them have been easy, this became by far the most difficult.' The production firm said it owed 'everything' to its Palestinian colleagues in Gaza and 'the doctors and medics who trusted us with their stories'. It added: 'We want to apologise to the contributors and team for the long delay, and thank Channel 4 for enabling it to be seen.' Gaza: Doctors Under Attack was greenlit for broadcast by Ms Compton, and was made by reporter Ramita Navai, executive producer Ben De Pear, who was previously editor of Channel 4 News, and director Karim Shah for Basement Films. Mr De Pear was also previously the executive producer on 2019's For Sama, which won a Bafta and was nominated for an Oscar. The BBC pulled the documentary How To Survive A Warzone in February after it emerged that its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official. In a statement last week, the BBC said it had paused production of Gaza: Doctors Under Attack in April, having made a decision that they could not broadcast the film while a review into a separate Gaza documentary was ongoing. The BBC said that with both films coming from independent production companies, and both about Gaza, it was right to wait for any relevant findings – and put them into action – before broadcasting the film. In a statement, the corporation said: 'As we said at the time, we transferred ownership of the film material to Basement Films. Anything broadcast will not be a BBC film and has not undergone the BBC's final pre-broadcast sign-off processes. 'The BBC is committed to covering the conflict in Gaza and has produced powerful coverage. Alongside breaking news and ongoing analysis, we have produced award-winning documentaries such as Life and Death in Gaza, and Gaza 101. We have also investigated allegations of abuse of Palestinian prisoners and Israel's attacks on Gaza's hospitals. 'Last week we ran a powerful piece of in-depth journalism that captured the final two weeks inside a Gaza hospital before it was forced to close.'
The Sun
14 minutes ago
- The Sun
Zara McDermott cuddles up to Louis Tomlinson's sister at Glastonbury as romance gets family seal of approval
ZARA McDermott has been snapped cuddling up to Louis Tomlinson's sister in a new seal of approval of her blossoming relationship with Louis. The 28-year-old has been dating the former One Direction star, 33, since March this year, with the pair looking loved up at Glastonbury Festival across this weekend. 5 5 5 Lottie Tomlinson, Louis's make-up artist sister, is also enjoying the revelry with fiancé Lewis Burton, and shared pictures from day one of the festival on Instagram this morning. Among the pics, Lottie is seen sharing a hug with Louis and Lewis in the Worthy Farm field, while another showed Lottie and Zara sharing a hug in front of one of the Glastonbury stages. Zara posed with a canned water in her hand in a baggy blue top, jean shorts and a baseball cap, wrapping one of her arms around Lottie's back. Lottie did the same to cuddle into Zara, posing in a white pencil-strapped top and a pair of jeans. Followers quickly shared their love of the photo collection, particularly how well Zara seems to be fitting in with the Tomlinson family. 'YOU AND ZARA ALWAYS GONNA BE THE GIRLS OF THE MOMENT' wrote one. 'YA'LL WE GOT A ZARA AND LOTTIE PIC,' noted a surprised second. A third wrote: 'Lottie and zara is the most Powerful duo EVER 😍, girls you stunning' 'Nice when your siblings and partners get along so well.😍😍' said a fourth. Zara and Louis have shunned the VIP treatment for the event, and have been seen camping out with the rest of the revellers in a small tent. Louis Tomlinson and Zara McDermott look loved up as they are spotted on holiday in Costa Rica "They looked like they were having a ball together and Louis was really affectionate towards Zara and was making sure she had everything she needed. "She was stroking his back and had a massive smile on her face,' a source said. While Louis is used to appearing on stage, it was actually Zara that was making an appearance at this year's festival, joining a panel at the Information Tent on Friday to discuss her documentary filmmaking. Louis was seen proudly looking on from the sidelines as she spoke. The couple have become more public with their relationship in the past few weeks, after getting to know each other while Zara filmed a documentary with Louis's sisters. Splitting with Sam Thompson in January after a five-year relationship, Zara kept her new romance quiet in the early weeks, with Louis also known to keep his private life away from the limelight. However, they have since made their relationship more well-known, enjoying a loved-up holiday to Costa Rica together, and Zara joining Louis in Los Angeles. 5 5
