LITTLE BRITAIN TOO HOT FOR POLAND

Poland’s state-run television broadcaster has cut a gay kiss from the British comedy series, Little Britain.

The show, which has become a cult hit around the world, features a scene in which the character Dafydd – who claims to be “the only gay in the village” contrary to all evidence – sets up a sex toy booth at a church fair. At one point in the scene, the village’s gay vicar kisses another man on screen.

Aneta Wrona, a spokesperson for the television channel, told Agence France Press that, “We decided to cut a scene which could cause controversy among Polish viewers and which isn’t exactly in line with our mission as a public television channel.”

The move comes days after a state official called for an investigation on whether the BBC children’s show Teletubbies was promoting homosexuality because one of the characters, Tinky Winky, carries a handbag.

Ewa Sowinska, ombudsman for children’s rights in Poland, has however backed down on her claim following widespread condemnation and ridicule, and said that she will no longer ask mental health specialists to look at the Teletubbies series for subversive gay subtext. “We are not going to deal with this issue any more,” said her office.

This is not the first time that the Teletubbies and specifically Tinky Winky have been at the centre of gay “propaganda” allegations. In 1999, the late American Reverend Jerry Falwell also accused Tinky Winky of being gay because: “He is purple – the gay-pride colour; and his antenna is shaped like a triangle – the gay-pride symbol.”

The Polish state has come under fire of late for its homophobic policies. Most recently, the government has proposed legislation that would criminalise “homosexual propaganda” in schools. The laws would bar discussion of homosexuality in any academic institution and gay teachers could be fired.