The repeat of last year’s Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special will not air the controversial lyric from the Fairytale of New York, it’s been reported.
In 2019, the BBC comedy came under fire from viewers, receiving more than 800 complaints after it chose to feature the slur ‘cheap lousy f****t’ in a scene from the festive classic.
The controversial line, which has become a divisive topic since the 80s in terms of acceptable language, features in the scene where Bryn (Rob Brydon) and Nessa (Ruth Jones) are doing karaoke.
The duo opted to sing The Pogues’ Christmas song in front of their family, although when Bryn sang the lyric in question, it went uncensored.
However, during the repeat of the Christmas special. which airs tonight, production company Fulwell 73 have reportedly decided to cut the line from the episode.
‘Fulwell 73 thought long and hard about this and they hope the change will ensure the special can be enjoyed by all audiences, present and future, without causing any unintended offence,’ a source told The Sun.
A spokesman for Fulwell 73 added: ‘In keeping with the programme’s themes of joy, love and inclusivity, Fulwell 73 have decided to re-edit the song. We are grateful to the BBC for allowing us to make this change.’
Last month the BBC had to step in to defend its decision to play an edited version of the track after it received a series of complaints.
The broadcaster had previously announced that it would air an alternative edition of the beloved Christmas song to avoid offending younger listeners with derogatory terms for gender and sexuality.
However, just 10 days after the track change, the BBC were forced double down on its use of the song with different lyrics sung by Kristy MacColl.
‘We know Fairytale of New York is considered a Christmas classic and we will continue to play it this year on BBC Radio, with our stations choosing the version of the song most relevant for their audience,’ a spokesperson said.
‘We are aware that young audiences are particularly sensitive to derogatory terms for gender and sexuality, and after considering this carefully, Radio 1 has decided to play a version featuring Kirsty MacColl singing alternative lyrics, provided by the record label.’
The Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special airs tonight at 8.40pm on BBC One.
Credit: Original article published here.The post Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special to cut out controversial Fairytale of New York lyric appeared on My Celebrity Life.