Latest news with #AnyQuestions?
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Classic sitcom becomes latest show slapped with woke trigger warning for ‘discriminatory language' in Christmas special
The classic episode now appears on iPlayer with warnings - find out what they're for here TRIGGERED Classic sitcom becomes latest show slapped with woke trigger warning for 'discriminatory language' in Christmas special Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CLASSIC sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em has been slapped with a warning by the BBC for its Christmas Day special from 1975. The seasonal special of the second series was titled Learning to Drive, and aired prime time at 6:55pm, featuring festive scenes of Frank Spencer working in Santa's grotto dressed as a pixie. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 2 The BBC has slapped a warning on the classic 1975 Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em Christmas special 2 The show has main character Frank Spencer working in Santa's grotto - with quips about 'fairies' prompting the warning Credit: BBC Press Handout But when iconic character Frank performs to children and introduces himself as 'the Chief of the Pixies, the friend of all the little boys and girls', a young boy heckles him on stage, shouting: 'Oh no you're not, you're a poof.' Frank, played by Michael Crawford, responds: 'I beg your pardon? Block your ears. I'll remember your face - you needn't bother cleaning your chimney this Christmas.' His typically calamitous performance as a pixie, in which he plays a bugle and a magic flute, is criticised by Mr Wheeler, played by George Sewell, who gets laughs from the audience for making several quips about 'fairies', which may also be considered outdated humour due to the term's connotations. The episode now appears on iPlayer with the warning that the episode contains: 'Discriminatory language which some may find offensive.' READ MORE TV NEWS TV TENSIONS Watch awkward moment feuding stars Myleene & Frankie come face to face on TV The episode also sees Frank attempt to pass his driving test, and show off his shoddy DIY attempts to Any Questions? host David Jacobs when the BBC invites him to appear in a home improvements TV show. The beloved series ran for three series from 1975 until 1978, and only one episode contains a warning to modern viewers. Previously, viewers of the The Fast Show have been warned about 'discriminatory language' in a Suits You scene from an episode which aired in February 1996. It could concern a scene where the series' lusty Middle Aged Guys declare women who rebuffed their advances 'lesbians'. The Office and Only Fools and Horses are also screened with warnings about their appropriateness for modern audiences. Channel 4 has previously been branded 'humourless' for flagging a series of Father Ted episodes on its streaming service, and ITV has a similar caution on 1970s comedy George & Mildred.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The real reason Starmer can't sack Lucy Powell over the grooming gangs
Sir Keir Starmer knows full well how angry the public is about the grooming gangs scandal. So why didn't he sack Lucy Powell for the jaw-dropping comments she made on Radio 4? According to the BBC, it's because 'Downing Street accepts Powell's apology and her explanation that her comments did not reflect her views on the issue'. Surely, though, there's a far simpler reason. The Prime Minister couldn't sack her, because he'd previously made a very similar comment himself. Let's compare the two. First, here's what Ms Powell – a senior Labour minister – said on Any Questions? last Friday. When her fellow panellist Tim Montgomerie, a member of Nigel Farage's Reform UK, asked whether she'd seen a new documentary about the grooming gangs, she snorted: 'Oh, you want to blow that little trumpet now, do you? Let's get that dog whistle out, shall we, yeah?' Now let's remind ourselves what Sir Keir said in January. When asked by journalists about the highly inconvenient return of the grooming gangs scandal to the public eye, the Prime Minister claimed that his political opponents were 'calling for inquiries because they want to jump on a bandwagon of the far Right'. Like Ms Powell on Any Questions?, Sir Keir was plainly suggesting that conservative figures who dare to raise the subject of the grooming gangs must have some dishonourable, and very likely racist, motive. If anything, Sir Keir's comments were more insulting than Ms Powell's. 'Jump on a bandwagon of the far Right' is stronger language than 'dog whistle'. At any rate, given that Sir Keir did not immediately resign in disgrace, he could hardly have expected one of his ministers to do it. So at least, for once, he's being consistent. All the same, I somehow doubt that many voters will give him much credit for it. Instead, I suspect, quite a few voters will read her comments, recall his, and say to themselves: 'This is what they all think, isn't it? Maybe not all of them are stupid enough to say it out loud. But in private, I bet they all think it's a 'dog whistle' even to mention the mass rape of white, working-class girls. And I bet they all think it's 'far-Right' to want a full national inquiry into how it happened, and why it took so long to expose. Which presumably means they think most of us plebs are 'far-Right', too.' Today's cultural elite are often accused of being a pack of virtue-signalling Left-wing hypocrites. This is of course horribly unfair. So thank goodness they now have the perfect opportunity to prove their critics wrong. As we reported at the weekend, Dudu Tassa – a musician from Israel – had been due to play two concerts in Britain this summer with Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. Following pressure from anti-Israel activists, however, they've been cancelled. In a statement, the PACBI (Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel) declared that 'Palestinians welcome the cancellation', because the concerts would have helped to 'artwash genocide'. Presumably our cultural elite will be rushing to condemn this statement. Only last week, after all, more than 100 of Britain's leading pop stars signed an open letter deploring what they called 'a clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform the band Kneecap'. This Belfast rap trio had seen several of their shows cancelled following the emergence of concert footage in which a member of the group appears to shout, 'Up Hamas, up Hezbollah!' In response, the 100-plus pop stars leapt immediately to Kneecap's defence – and proclaimed: 'As artists, we feel the need to register our opposition to any political repression of artistic freedom.' No doubt, therefore, these same 100-plus pop stars will be equally disgusted by the PACBI. They must be absolutely livid about what they will surely call 'a clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform' this Israeli musician. In fact, given how passionately committed these pop stars are to their principles, I wouldn't be surprised if every single one of them invites Mr Tassa to join them on tour – regardless of what they may think about Israel's actions in Gaza, or Mr Tassa's own opinions on the subject. As they so nobly put it in their open letter about Kneecap, 'the question of agreeing with' an artist's political views 'is irrelevant', because it is 'the duty of key leadership figures in the music industry to actively defend artistic freedom of expression – rather than seek to silence views which oppose their own'. These pop stars are people of honour and integrity, so I can't wait to read their open letter in defence of Mr Tassa. At the time of writing this column, I have not yet seen any sign of such a document, but I expect it will be along any moment now. 'Way of the World' is a twice-weekly satirical look at the headlines while aiming to mock the absurdities of the modern world. It is published at 6am every Tuesday and Saturday Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
The real reason Starmer can't sack Lucy Powell over the grooming gangs
Sir Keir Starmer knows full well how angry the public is about the grooming gangs scandal. So why didn't he sack Lucy Powell for the jaw-dropping comments she made on Radio 4? According to the BBC, it's because 'Downing Street accepts Powell's apology and her explanation that her comments did not reflect her views on the issue'. Surely, though, there's a far simpler reason. The Prime Minister couldn't sack her, because he'd previously made a very similar comment himself. Let's compare the two. First, here's what Ms Powell – a senior Labour minister – said on Any Questions? last Friday. When her fellow panellist Tim Montgomerie, a member of Nigel Farage's Reform UK, asked whether she'd seen a new documentary about the grooming gangs, she snorted: 'Oh, you want to blow that little trumpet now, do you? Let's get that dog whistle out, shall we, yeah?' Now let's remind ourselves what Sir Keir said in January. When asked by journalists about the highly inconvenient return of the grooming gangs scandal to the public eye, the Prime Minister claimed that his political opponents were 'calling for inquiries because they want to jump on a bandwagon of the far Right'. Like Ms Powell on Any Questions?, Sir Keir was plainly suggesting that conservative figures who dare to raise the subject of the grooming gangs must have some dishonourable, and very likely racist, motive. If anything, Sir Keir's comments were more insulting than Ms Powell's. 'Jump on a bandwagon of the far Right' is stronger language than 'dog whistle'. At any rate, given that Sir Keir did not immediately resign in disgrace, he could hardly have expected one of his ministers to do it. So at least, for once, he's being consistent. All the same, I somehow doubt that many voters will give him much credit for it. Instead, I suspect, quite a few voters will read her comments, recall his, and say to themselves: 'This is what they all think, isn't it? Maybe not all of them are stupid enough to say it out loud. But in private, I bet they all think it's a 'dog whistle' even to mention the mass rape of white, working-class girls. And I bet they all think it's 'far-Right' to want a full national inquiry into how it happened, and why it took so long to expose. Which presumably means they think most of us plebs are 'far-Right', too.' Are Israelis allowed 'free expression', too? Today's cultural elite are often accused of being a pack of virtue-signalling Left-wing hypocrites. This is of course horribly unfair. So thank goodness they now have the perfect opportunity to prove their critics wrong. As we reported at the weekend, Dudu Tassa – a musician from Israel – had been due to play two concerts in Britain this summer with Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. Following pressure from anti-Israel activists, however, they've been cancelled. In a statement, the PACBI (Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel) declared that 'Palestinians welcome the cancellation', because the concerts would have helped to 'artwash genocide'. Presumably our cultural elite will be rushing to condemn this statement. Only last week, after all, more than 100 of Britain's leading pop stars signed an open letter deploring what they called 'a clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform the band Kneecap'. This Belfast rap trio had seen several of their shows cancelled following the emergence of concert footage in which a member of the group appears to shout, 'Up Hamas, up Hezbollah!' In response, the 100-plus pop stars leapt immediately to Kneecap's defence – and proclaimed: 'As artists, we feel the need to register our opposition to any political repression of artistic freedom.' No doubt, therefore, these same 100-plus pop stars will be equally disgusted by the PACBI. They must be absolutely livid about what they will surely call 'a clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform' this Israeli musician. In fact, given how passionately committed these pop stars are to their principles, I wouldn't be surprised if every single one of them invites Mr Tassa to join them on tour – regardless of what they may think about Israel's actions in Gaza, or Mr Tassa's own opinions on the subject. As they so nobly put it in their open letter about Kneecap, 'the question of agreeing with' an artist's political views 'is irrelevant', because it is 'the duty of key leadership figures in the music industry to actively defend artistic freedom of expression – rather than seek to silence views which oppose their own'. These pop stars are people of honour and integrity, so I can't wait to read their open letter in defence of Mr Tassa. At the time of writing this column, I have not yet seen any sign of such a document, but I expect it will be along any moment now.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pakistani Grooming Gangs: Why UK Leader of House Lucy Powell is under-fire for 'dog whistle comment'
Lucy Powell , the UK's Leader of the House of Commons, is facing intense backlash after comments she made during a BBC Radio 4 debate appeared to belittle concerns over grooming gangs—an issue that has long scarred British politics and policing. Speaking on the BBC's Any Questions? programme, Powell reacted to political commentator Tim Montgomerie's mention of Channel 4's recent documentary Groomed: The Truth About Britain's Child Sex Scandal by saying: 'Oh, we want to blow that little trumpet now, do we? Let's get that dog whistle out, shall we?' The comment was widely interpreted as dismissive, with critics accusing Powell of trivialising the scale of the abuse, much of which involved British-Pakistani men grooming and sexually abusing young white girls in towns like Rotherham, Rochdale and Telford. Survivors condemn Powell's remarks Survivors of grooming gangs have condemned the Labour MP's remarks as 'disgusting' and 'disrespectful.' Sarah Wilson, a survivor of the Rotherham abuse scandal , said Powell's language captured the very attitude that allowed grooming gangs to operate unchecked for years. 'She doesn't know what we've been through. The words 'dog whistle' are thrown around to silence people,' Wilson said. 'This is the same mindset that caused so many professionals to stay silent when we begged for help.' Marlon West, the father of a survivor featured in the Channel 4 documentary , said he felt 'abused and disrespected' all over again. 'To call this a dog whistle… it's like she was trying to score political points off our pain,' he told UK media. Political fallout for Labour The backlash has spilled into Westminster, where several Conservative MPs have called for Powell to resign. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said Powell's 'contemptuous tone' was an insult to victims. 'This isn't about politics — it's about acknowledging one of the most serious institutional failures in modern British history.' The ruling Conservative Party has accused Labour of downplaying the grooming gangs crisis for years due to fears of appearing racist. The party has also criticised Labour's decision not to launch a national inquiry into grooming gangs since coming to power. Chris Philp, the Conservative MP for Croydon South, added: 'These aren't dog whistles. These are crimes. And Lucy Powell's comments show a disturbing lack of seriousness about child exploitation .' Even within Labour, the incident has sparked unease. Health Secretary Wes Streeting defended Powell, but admitted her language was 'poorly judged' and said she had been 'mortified' at the reaction. Powell's apology In response to the outcry, Powell issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter), saying: 'In the heat of a discussion on Any Questions, I would like to clarify that I regard issues of child exploitation and grooming with the utmost seriousness. I'm sorry if this was unclear. I was challenging the political point scoring around it, not the issue itself.' However, many critics — including abuse survivors — have rejected the apology as insufficient. A long, painful history The scandal over grooming gangs has haunted British institutions for more than a decade. In 2014, the Jay Report found that at least 1,400 girls were abused in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. Subsequent investigations found similar patterns in other towns. Victims were often not believed, and authorities failed to act amid concerns over community relations and political sensitivities. The perpetrators in many of these cases were groups of British-Pakistani men, which led to widespread debate about whether cultural taboos around race had contributed to the institutional silence. Earlier this year, Channel 4's documentary revisited the issue, featuring harrowing testimony from survivors, whistleblowers, and families still seeking justice. The documentary reignited public outrage and prompted calls for a national inquiry — something the Labour government has so far resisted, opting instead for 'localised reviews.' What it means for Labour The Powell controversy has reignited longstanding criticism of Labour's record on grooming gangs — especially in its traditional northern strongholds where the abuse scandals first emerged. Many survivors and community leaders accuse Labour-led councils of turning a blind eye to the abuse for years, prioritising political correctness over child safety. With an election expected next year, the Labour Party is facing renewed pressure to take a more transparent stance. But for survivors, Powell's comments served as a painful reminder of a system that failed them — and of politicians who still struggle to speak plainly about why. As the debate continues, one question lingers in the public consciousness: can justice ever be served if political leaders are still afraid to name the problem?
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rape gang survivors attack Labour minister after ‘dog whistle' comments
Credit: Any Questions? | BBC Sounds Grooming gang victims have accused Lucy Powell of 'totally dismissing' thousands of abuse survivors by calling the scandal a 'dog whistle' issue. Sarah Wilson suffered years of sexual abuse from the age of 11 at the hands of paedophile gangs in Rotherham. On Sunday, it was confirmed that Ms Powell will stay on as Leader of the Commons despite accusing a political commentator of blowing a 'little trumpet' as he brought up the scandal. Ms Wilson, now a campaigner on the issue, was one of at least 1,400 children in Rotherham exploited by gangs of men, of predominantly Pakistani heritage between 1997 and 2013. During Friday's episode of BBC Radio 4's Any Questions, Tim Montgomerie, a Reform backer, said: 'I don't know if you saw the documentary on Channel 4 about rape gangs.' Ms Powell, the MP for Manchester Central, interrupted him and replied: 'Oh, we want to blow that little trumpet now, do we? Yeah, OK, let's get that dog whistle out.' Sharing a clip of the Labour frontbencher's remarks, Ms Wilson wrote: 'This is what victims and survivors have been up against all these years. This is why we weren't listened to. 'They never cared and they never will. [They] totally dismissed survivors and our experiences of being groomed.' Scarlett, a 20-year-old grooming survivor from Greater Manchester who appeared in the documentary, and Marlon, her father, also criticised Ms Powell. He said: 'Scarlett and I, who shared our story in the documentary despite the emotional challenges, are outraged by Lucy Powell. 'We feel abused and disrespected once again, and we did not anticipate this kind of treatment from our government leaders. 'You have used us as a political tool for an excuse to be critical towards Conservatives rather than supporting a public inquiry. You should be ashamed.' Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, said on Sunday that his Cabinet colleague will continue in her role and that she felt 'mortified' by her remarks. Asked by Sky's Trevor Phillips whether Ms Powell's job was safe, Mr Streeting replied: 'Yes. I think she made a genuine mistake, she's owned up to it, she said sorry and we'll move on.' Sir Keir Starmer has resisted Tory and Reform calls for a statutory inquiry into the historical sexual abuse of thousands of children by gangs of men, predominantly of Pakistani heritage. Senior Labour figures, including Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, and Dan Carden, who leads the socially conservative Blue Labour group of MPs, have also said there should be a national inquiry. The issue returned to public prominence in January amid hundreds of posts on the subject by Elon Musk, the owner of X and a close ally of Donald Trump. Channel 4 aired a documentary called Groomed: A National Scandal last week that exposed institutional failures to protect vulnerable girls, including those in care homes. Challenged on whether he saw this abuse as a 'dog whistle', Mr Streeting replied: 'No, and I don't think that's what Lucy intended to imply in a heated debate on Radio 4 and that's why she's apologised for what she said. 'That's the right thing to do but, you know, I've known Lucy for a long time. I don't think for a moment she would have meant or wanted to imply that raising these issues talking about these issues is dog whistle.' Mr Streeting went on to insist that the scandal was not a 'political thing' before appearing to accuse some Tory and Reform members of treating it as a 'party political knockabout'. He said: 'I do think there's been a degree of playing politics with it and we would rather that didn't happen. 'I think that was actually what Lucy Powell was driving at on Radio 4 on Friday night and it came across in a way that she never, ever intended and that's why she apologised.' In a later interview with the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Streeting said Ms Powell was 'mortified' by the reaction to her remarks. When it was put to him that Ms Powell is a member of the Cabinet, Mr Streeting said: 'She's also human. I've made mistakes in the past, I'm sure I'm going to make mistakes in the future. 'She's mortified. She does not want and would not want people who have campaigned on or been victims of these crimes to think she was in any way trying to undermine those experiences or those arguments.' Ms Powell said in a statement on Saturday night that she had made the comments 'in the heat of a discussion' on Any Questions. She said: 'I would like to clarify that I regard issues of child exploitation and grooming with the utmost seriousness. 'I'm sorry if this was unclear. I was challenging the political point scoring around it, not the issue itself. As a constituency MP, I've dealt with horrendous cases. This Government is acting to get to the truth and deliver justice.' Labour has dropped previously announced plans for five local grooming gang inquiries in favour of a 'flexible approach', in which councils will be able to spend cash to tackle the issue as they wish. This could mean full independent local inquiries, but could also take in 'more bespoke work' such as victims' panels or locally-led audits of past failings. The Government is also awaiting the findings of an audit by Baroness Casey into the nature and scale of grooming, as well as the profile of the gangs behind it.
