The BBC has pulled an episode of The Repair Shop that was set to feature joke books belonging to the late comedian Bob Monkhouse, after staff deemed some of the material sexist. The programme, which restores treasured items for members of the public, had planned to showcase the handwritten notebooks from the 1960s.
A production employee took offence at the content and raised concerns with bosses, leading to a collective decision to scrap the segment. Sources described a 'disheartened' atmosphere on set, as experts who were ready to restore the historical joke books were left disappointed.
A BBC spokesperson said: 'We planned to fix the joke book, but when we got it to the barn and saw it in its entirety, we realised it contained many jokes that were not appropriate for a programme. We explained this to the family and returned the book to them. We did not complete filming of the item.'
Bob Monkhouse, who died in 2003 aged 75, was known for hosting game shows such as Family Fortunes and Celebrity Squares. His writing partner, Colin Edmonds, previously acknowledged that the material was 'of its time' and would likely be deemed unacceptable today.
The notebooks were kept by Monkhouse's adopted daughter, Abigail Williams, and Edmonds. They had agreed to appear on the show, but the BBC ultimately decided to abandon the project 'out of consideration for all viewers'. Production company Ricochet said such decisions are part of the normal process.
