BBC Pulls The Repair Shop Episode After Complaint Over “Sexist” Bob Monkhouse Joke
2026
An episode of BBC’s The Repair Shop was abruptly pulled after a production worker raised concerns over a “sexist” gag written by the late comic legend Bob Monkhouse. The joke, which had been part of Monkhouse’s extensive collection of handwritten joke books from the 1960s, was deemed offensive by an employee working for the production company Ricochet, prompting BBC bosses to scrap the segment.
The episode, which featured a tribute to Bob Monkhouse, was set to air this year. It showed the restoration of his personal joke books, brought in for repair by his longtime comedy writing partner Colin Edmonds and Monkhouse’s adopted daughter Abigail Williams. The books, packed with thousands of gags and illustrations, are a testament to the comedian’s creativity.
However, chaos ensued when one joke, believed to be sexist by the production worker, was flagged as inappropriate. BBC executives then made the controversial decision to axe the segment, a move that sparked mockery and disappointment from fans and the restoration team alike.
A source close to the show told The Sun, “The BBC has been mocked for its wokery, but this really is a new low. A production employee stumbled across a joke – no doubt written in the 1960s – and took offence, believing it to be sexist. They flagged the problem, and a ‘collective decision’ was made to cull the whole thing.”
The incident left the show’s experts feeling “disheartened” and left Bob Monkhouse’s loved ones in disbelief. The source continued, “Experts were waiting to lovingly restore the historical joke books, and Bob’s family, who had agreed to participate and speak passionately about his life, were at a loss.”
The decision has been widely criticized as one of the BBC’s most embarrassing moments in recent memory. Monkhouse’s joke books, which he began compiling in the early 1960s, include a mix of cartoons, handwritten gags, and jokes that, while popular in their time, may not be deemed appropriate by today’s standards. Many of the gags from the 1970s and earlier feature content that today would be considered sexist, with references to topless women and other outdated material.
Bob Monkhouse’s partner, Colin Edmonds, explained, “They are of their time. There are things that were acceptable in the Seventies which one wouldn’t dream of saying today.” Despite this, the BBC made the decision to censor the segment altogether.
The gag books were initially stolen in 1995 but later returned after a £10,000 reward was offered. Monkhouse, who passed away in 2003, kept a couple of the books with him wherever he went, adding new gags as they came to him. These books were left to Edmonds in Monkhouse’s will and were kept under his desk until being brought in for restoration on The Repair Shop.
The BBC has stated that the decision to cancel the episode was made in consideration of all viewers. However, the decision has ignited a debate about the limits of political correctness, with many feeling the show’s move was excessive and unnecessary.
