TV that wouldn't air if it was made today

[Limpshade]

A memory from secondary school popped up in my brain today - me and my friends quoting a L'Oreal shampoo advert to each other in a biology lesson, "Here comes the science bit ... concentrate!"

Yes, us ickle wimmin would have to concentrate to understand science as it's too darn complicated for our ickle wimnin brains

It has got me thinking, what other TV ads, scenes or shows would never make it to air today?

Andrea Dunbar wrote the outline for Rita, Sue and Bob Too while she was staying in a women's refuge. It's definitely not supposed to be a cheery sex comedy, and the idea that it wouldn't be allowed now is a bit daft when it is regularly put on as a stage show.

I also can't see what's wrong with Goodness Gracious Me. It's British Asians poking fun at racial stereotypes and Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhaskar are practically part of the establishment now.

And the League of Gentlemen had a new series only a couple of years ago. They did change the way they wrote the trans taxi driver but that was the only thing I can think of that was different. I have a DVD of the original three series and, interestingly, they've sort of blanked out one word and taken it out of the subtitles. The word is "mong", which is obviously a hideous word but it's interesting that it's the only one considered to be beyond the pale compared with all the other swear words and insults in the programme.

I think some of you are being a bit silly.

We can’t have programmes without racism or sexism because they exist in real life. Things like The Office we’re supposed to cringe at those things.

ActualHornist, Bollykecks for one has made an excellent point about that, which I agree with: even when programmes are intended to call out and critique racism etc, rather than celebrate or endorse it, the climate at the moment means (I quote Bollykecks here) 'people will complain about literally anything nowadays whether its warranted or not. And everything has to be PC… we probably miss out on a load of good tele because people wont broadcast it for fear of being labelled as whatever.'