'Love Thy Neighbour' was a long-running 70's sitcom which poked fun at a bigot. Ironically, it is itself today regarded as racist, with the same clips trotted out in tiresome fashion on banal retro programmes to illustrate the so-called political incorrectness of those times. But, just for a moment, imagine if the B.B.C. series 'The Melting Pot' had gone out in 1975. Every major character was a racialist. The Powell and Driver show would have looked tame by comparison.
'The Melting Pot' was the creation of Spike Milligan and Neil Shand, authors of the 'Q' series. Milligan and John Bird played a Pakistani father and son ( called 'Mr.Van Gogh' and 'Mr.Rembrandt' ), who arrive in England illegally via Amsterdam, thinking it to be the 'milk and honey land of free speech, and no racism'. They move into Paddy O'Brien's seedy boarding house at 7, Piles Road, London. Paddy is a coal man, and on their first meeting Van Gogh mistakes him for a fellow countryman. Observing O'Brien washing coal-dust off his face and hands, Van Gogh is horrified. "You must never use the soap here!", he tells his son, "I saw a black man washing with it and I watched his nationality coming off and go down the plughole.".
The other boarders include a black Yorkshireman named Luigi O'Reilly, Chinese cockney wide boy Eric Lee Fung, booze-loving, ex-Indian army officer Colonel Grope, Australian bookies' runner Bluey Notts, and Orthodox Scottish Arab Sheik Yamani. Watching television in the front room that evening, Paddy remarks; "I am trying to watch this b----y show. Kojak is just going to kill the n----r.". Luigi says. "Less of that n----r talk.". Paddy amends his words: "Kojak is going to kill the lovely coloured gentleman who has just split his wife's head open with a b----y meat-axe!".
It was a culture clash comedy, not a million miles removed from 'Curry & Chips', which Milligan had starred in six years earlier. Unlike that earlier show, however, 'The Melting Pot' was never broadcast in its entirety. The B.B.C. shelved it after only one episode. Had it been shown it probably would now be regarded as even more objectionable than 'Neighbour'. For one thing, it starred two white men in black make-up. Before anyone says "what about 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum?', the two shows were very different. Michael Bates' 'Rangi Ram' was totally convincing in that role. With Milligan and Bird, however, they were exaggerated stereotypes.
Frank Carson was good as the loud-mouthed Irish coal man. Pity he did not get more sitcom roles. The lack of a liberal character along the lines of Tony Booth's 'Mike' from 'Till Death Us Do Part' was noticeable, and the only major female on view was a busty blonde called 'Nefertiti', Paddy's daughter ( Alexandra Dane ). Not a show then for the easily offended.
Milligan felt it had been harshly treated. He later published the scripts, as well as drawing on them for his novel 'The Looney'. It beggars belief that the B.B.C. could commission and film this, and finally decide to shelve it! And in the era of 'The Black & White Minstrel Show' to boot.
'The Melting Pot' was the creation of Spike Milligan and Neil Shand, authors of the 'Q' series. Milligan and John Bird played a Pakistani father and son ( called 'Mr.Van Gogh' and 'Mr.Rembrandt' ), who arrive in England illegally via Amsterdam, thinking it to be the 'milk and honey land of free speech, and no racism'. They move into Paddy O'Brien's seedy boarding house at 7, Piles Road, London. Paddy is a coal man, and on their first meeting Van Gogh mistakes him for a fellow countryman. Observing O'Brien washing coal-dust off his face and hands, Van Gogh is horrified. "You must never use the soap here!", he tells his son, "I saw a black man washing with it and I watched his nationality coming off and go down the plughole.".
The other boarders include a black Yorkshireman named Luigi O'Reilly, Chinese cockney wide boy Eric Lee Fung, booze-loving, ex-Indian army officer Colonel Grope, Australian bookies' runner Bluey Notts, and Orthodox Scottish Arab Sheik Yamani. Watching television in the front room that evening, Paddy remarks; "I am trying to watch this b----y show. Kojak is just going to kill the n----r.". Luigi says. "Less of that n----r talk.". Paddy amends his words: "Kojak is going to kill the lovely coloured gentleman who has just split his wife's head open with a b----y meat-axe!".
It was a culture clash comedy, not a million miles removed from 'Curry & Chips', which Milligan had starred in six years earlier. Unlike that earlier show, however, 'The Melting Pot' was never broadcast in its entirety. The B.B.C. shelved it after only one episode. Had it been shown it probably would now be regarded as even more objectionable than 'Neighbour'. For one thing, it starred two white men in black make-up. Before anyone says "what about 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum?', the two shows were very different. Michael Bates' 'Rangi Ram' was totally convincing in that role. With Milligan and Bird, however, they were exaggerated stereotypes.
Frank Carson was good as the loud-mouthed Irish coal man. Pity he did not get more sitcom roles. The lack of a liberal character along the lines of Tony Booth's 'Mike' from 'Till Death Us Do Part' was noticeable, and the only major female on view was a busty blonde called 'Nefertiti', Paddy's daughter ( Alexandra Dane ). Not a show then for the easily offended.
Milligan felt it had been harshly treated. He later published the scripts, as well as drawing on them for his novel 'The Looney'. It beggars belief that the B.B.C. could commission and film this, and finally decide to shelve it! And in the era of 'The Black & White Minstrel Show' to boot.