All That Glitters Is Not Elvis - Cringe worthy moments?

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Nicko12345

Dedicated Member
I watched All That Glitters Is Not Elvis again the other day and, while the episode itself is passable enough, there was one moment that had me cringing with embarrassment.

Barry is in trouble with his boss and Glenda responds with words to the effect of, `Never mind Barry, if you were in Japan and you`d displeased your boss then you might be forced to commit suicide!`

Now firstly, this is a very weak joke and could have been cut for that reason alone. But also I would say that for any show in 2008 to still be using racial and cultural stereotypes like this was misjudged (I`m not trying to say that Roy Clarke or Alan Bell are racist in any way but maybe just behind the times in this instance).

Or am I just being a politically correct fool? :42:

Anyway, are there any moments that other people find slightly embarrassing or cringe worthy through the show`s history for whatever reason?
 
I think if anything the nation that takes a beating is Germany but Japan is also in the running with the odd American slight and the French don't come off too well sometimes either.


I wonder where they get the idea we Brits are xenophobic? :-[
 
happyjack said:
Oh dear. Not worth a reply
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For what reason?

Another example I would give would be when Peter Sallis refers to Entwistle and actually `slants` his eyes with his fingers. This didn`t offend me but the person I was watching the episode with did comment that, `You are not allowed to do that anymore!` which is probably true.
 
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Nicko12345 said:
For what reason?

Another example I would give would be when Peter Sallis refers to Entwistle and actually `slants` his eyes with his fingers. This didn`t offend me but the person I was watching the episode with did comment that, `You are not allowed to do that anymore!` which is probably true.
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What about the the "Bog off you Chinese Twit" line. Where does that one rank
;)
 
I was brought up never to use a pejorative term - my mother was about fifty years ahead of her time - and that made me a pariah among most of my schoolmates. As a result, whenever I hear one in what passes for real life, I'm both startled and offended. But my mind must contain water-tight compartments, because when I hear or read one in fiction, it seems all of a piece with the time and place, so I don't react at all.

Marianna
 
Personally at a young age I decided that what folk said about my disability,and some of it was not very nice,I was just going to pass me bye,if they had a problem it is their problem,what upsets me more and I am sure most of it is devised by folk who could not get a real job or nothing better to do, is these days there are laws against that and if you called me peg leg you may end up in jail,I think every nation needs to stop worrying about who called who what as it is no route to getting peace in the world, if the planet continues with it's PC polices at the rate they are,we will not dare speak to anyone afraid we might offend them
 
maltrab said:
Personally at a young age I decided that what folk said about my disability,and some of it was not very nice,I was just going to pass me bye,if they had a problem it is their problem,what upsets me more and I am sure most of it is devised by folk who could not get a real job or nothing better to do, is these days there are laws against that and if you called me peg leg you may end up in jail,I think every nation needs to stop worrying about who called who what as it is no route to getting peace in the world, if the planet continues with it's PC polices at the rate they are,we will not dare speak to anyone afraid we might offend them
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Perfectly put.
 
I may have said this before , ....I am 70 years old and grew up in an age where you spoke of things in a different manner than today, .What were ok in the years of the show are now frowned on, Its a sad fact of life today that there seem to be people around that are looking for things to pick you up on. Whoever called them " The Thought Police" named them well. Yes there are non-pc moments in the show! Yes we would not be able to say them today! The show was written at a time that reflected the times .As was Ronnie Barkers show " Open All Hours". Another Roy Clarke presentation. The times have changed not necessarily for the better. As Terry says the way things are going we daren't open our mouths just in case we "offend" .It is nice to view a show that uses wit and slapstick to entertain. Not like the modern alternative comedian with his shot gun way of "comedy" I have friends of all shapes, sizes and " colours". I treat them all the same and they return this. You may find that most of the people who are pc are British people "trying " to be multicultural and not offend any other race or creed. I cant speak for our American friends as I only know what I see on tv. but I think its getting sad in this country when "historical" T V programmes are taken to task over comments and actions from years gone by. I'd better close this before it gets to be a book and hope that we can all do as Terry wished and keep politics out of the show :pc:
 
dick said:
I think its getting sad in this country when "historical" T V programmes are taken to task over comments and actions from years gone by.
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If we're going to talk about cringe-worthy, talk about sanitizing history. We simply cannot do that. Among other things, it's dishonest. And I can't help thinking, "Shades of '1984'." Are the works of George Orwell still assigned reading in secondary school? I hope so, as they contain cautionary tales that are still valid.

Marianna
 
dick said:
I may have said this before , ....I am 70 years old and grew up in an age where you spoke of things in a different manner than today, .What were ok in the years of the show are now frowned on, Its a sad fact of life today that there seem to be people around that are looking for things to pick you up on. Whoever called them " The Thought Police" named them well. Yes there are non-pc moments in the show! Yes we would not be able to say them today! As was Ronnie Barkers show " Open All Hours". Another Roy Clarke presentation. The times have changed not necessarily for the better. As Terry says the way things are going we daren't open our mouths just in case we "offend" .It is nice to view a show that uses wit and slapstick to entertain. Not like the modern alternative comedian with his shot gun way of "comedy" I have friends of all shapes, sizes and " colours". I treat them all the same and they return this. You may find that most of the people who are pc are British people "trying " to be multicultural and not offend any other race or creed. I cant speak for our American friends as I only know what I see on tv. but I think its getting sad in this country when "historical" T V programmes are taken to task over comments and actions from years gone by.
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This was exactly my point though.

I completely understand that the episodes that were made several decades ago will feature things that we wouldn`t say today. For example, in several old Foggy episodes he talks about the `Japs` in a way that we couldn`t do in a mainstream show today and the same goes for many other comments. You are right that the show did reflect the times at one point and obviously those episodes have to be judged in that context. I am not suggesting they should be edited or re-appraised at all.

But the original episode that I referred to was made in 2008. A modern episode. The show had gone from being representative of the times to being behind the times in my opinion.

Anyway, as I stated in the OP, the thread was intended to be a (lighthearted) discussion on anything people might have felt cringe worthy or embarrassing when watching the show for any reason. Not specifically just about outdated old jokes.
 
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Nicko12345 said:
But the original episode that I referred to was made in 2008. A modern episode. The show had gone from being representative of the times to being behind the times in my opinion.
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I was in Holmfirth in 2007 and heard a lot of startlingly non-PC speech from respectable-looking people. One of them was a native of the area; some of the others worked in shops so they probably were, too. I'm afraid that the 2008 shows might be very representative of that place and time.

Marianna
 
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