People Are Calling Out 'Only Fools And Horses' For 'Racist' Jokes

People are reacting with shock at some of the 'racist' jokes in old, unedited episodes of Only Fools and Horses, after coming across them on Netflix.

The classic comedy series first hit screens in 1981, and it's fair to say that attitudes have moved on a lot since then and that some of the language people used 30-odd years ago is not OK today.

Now, many people watching the show for the first time, or re-watching it, on Netflix are surprised at what was broadcast on the BBC back in the day.

Taking to Twitter to share their views, one person wrote: "Didn't notice it at the time but Only Fools and Horses was racist as fuck. Looks quite shocking when you watch it now."

Mirroring the idea of not noticing at the time, another posted: "I forgot how racist Only Fools and Horses was, totally over my head when I was little."

Someone else commented: "Watched an old episode of Only Fools & Horses last night. And, well... It's a *bit* massively fucking racist, innit?"

"Lazy morning watching Only Fools And Horses... I don't remember it being so horrendously racist!" another viewer added.

Just last week, after Netflix dropped every single episode of Friends, viewers, many of whom were seeing the show for the first time, took to social media to share their 'disgust' at some of the homophobic and transphobic jokes in the show.

And some on Twitter had a little warning for them, with one guy posting: "To Millenials finding Friends sexist, homophobic, racist, etc: do not watch Netflix's unedited episodes of Only Fools and Horses or Fawlty Towers."

However, others think you need to remember when the show was written and take the jokes in that context - even the ones that really don't age well.

One woman posted: "I meeeean...have you seen only fools and horses? Horrifically racist and that was broadcast in my lifetime. Society moves on from the viewpoints shown in cherished TV shows."

What do you guys think, should old shows be censored to avoid offence or left as they are?

Featured Image Credit: BBC/Only Fools And Horses

Topics: TV and Film, Twitter

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19