'Absolutely disgusting!' BBC torn apart for axing Bob Monkhouse tribute episode after ONE complaint: 'Entitled'

The broadcaster has sparked backlash after pulling a special episode of The Repair Shop, following concerns from a production staff member over a "sexist" joke.

The episode in question, planned as part of a tribute to Mr Monkhouse later this year, has been shelved by the BBC, leaving the repair experts "disheartened".

The episode was set to feature historic volumes of handwritten joke books dating back to the 1960s, brought in by the late comedian’s writing partner Colin Edmonds and adopted daughter Abigail Williams.

Reacting to the BBC's decision, Mr Kearse hit out at the broadcaster's staff for "losing a sense of humour".

He told GB News: "If somebody turns up to work and says, 'I don't like this, this is offensive to me', why don't the employers turn around and say, 'so what? We don't care'. Also, 'there's the door, you're fired'.

"Why do people feel entitled to judge? Who made this person the moral arbiter of what everybody in the nation gets to see and gets to hear and gets to laugh at?"

Highlighting that the "moral standards of today" are different to those of the 1960s, Mr Kearse stressed: "You can't judge the art of yesteryear by the moral standards of today. And by the way, those moral standards shift all the time.

"I think Bob Monkhouse is on firmer ground than this undoubtedly blue-haired, genderqueer, non-binary BBC employee. It's an absolute nonsense."

Taking aim at the BBC for allowing themselves to "bow down to these hall monitors of society", the comedian defended the "superb craft" of Mr Monkhouse.

He said: "This is judging art. Bob Monkhouse was an artist, he was a superb craftsman of a joke writer.

"So this is like somebody going to the Venus de Milo and complaining and demanding that it gets destroyed because they can see it's boobs.

"It's absolutely disgusting, and I really think the BBC and other organisations, other institutions need to stop bowing down and being cowed by these self-appointed milk monitors, these hall monitors of culture and society."

Agreeing with Mr Kearse, host Dawn Neesom despaired at the Monkhouse journals being denied their repair due to the axe.

She told Mr Kearse: "This is Bob Monkhouse, one of the comedy greats. Regardless of some of the jokes he wrote in the 1960s that are not palatable now, these journals are so important for your craft, for your industry.

"They've been sitting there since 2003, they would have been lovingly repaired by The Repair Shop, and now they're not. Now they're going to just sit and rot. It's just ridiculous."

Mr Kearse responded: "Think of the pain that's been caused, not just for fans of Bob Monkhouse, but the people on The Repair Shop program were looking forward to restoring these historical artefacts.

"And also the family of Bob Monkhouse had passed these books, these journals forwards and were looking forward to being part of the process and being engaged and having them restored.

"And this being part of the legacy of Bob Monkhouse, who is a huge part of a lot of people's lives and a huge part of British television as well.

"So what could be more appropriate than a than a BBC restoration project? And instead, because of one person's complaint, that's all been thrown out the window and his legacy has been smeared and tarnished. It's disgusting."

The BBC said the decision was a "production decision", which it had "supported out of consideration for all viewers".

It added that "production evaluates each and every item", with decisions made with audiences in mind.

Ricochet, the show’s production company, said: "Making decisions on which items to repair and include in the programme is part of the normal production process. These decisions are based on a range of factors."