Who, and what, were we laughing at?
The 'Germans' episode where Basil acts with supreme crassness - the German guests were intelligent and sensitively 'aware', in sharp contrast to Fawlty. The comedy was making it quite obvious that the individual to poke fun at was Fawlty and his bigotry. Of course he was OTT - that's the nature of 'theatre'.
When the elderly German couple arrive at the desk to book a room to be met with a stunned incomprehension - until Polly engaged with them in their own language - was it not highlighting the fact that there were intelligent and progressive people who didn't think foreigners were a demographic to make jokes about?
The elderly deaf lady - her outstanding feature was her supreme sense of her own importance... there are people like that. The fact she refused to wear her hearing aids was just another aspect of her self-importance. I didn't laugh at her deafness - it was her arrogance that made her look so silly.
The comedy was of its time - the culture and mores of the 70s is quite different to today's climate. But I cannot see why some of the episodes would be pulled and banned. I don't think the show was celebrating bigotry - it was highlighting it, and ridiculing it. The 'goodies' were Polly, often the guests, and even Sybil in her own inimitable way because she was so aware of the ridiculous nature of Basil - and he, Basil, was the joke... along with the Major. These 'types' existed - probably still do - and I don't see why we cannot make fun of them in comedy. IMO one of the best ways to deal with bigotry is to highlight its ridiculousness.
What do you think would go well with coasters like this?
Re painting metal bistro garden set