Kurt at 17:25, 14 February 2023

2023-02-14T17:25:05Z

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	~~{{short description\|British television sitcom}}~~
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=May 2014}}~~
	~~{{Use British English\|date=May 2014}}~~
	{{Infobox television		{{Infobox television
	\| image = Curry and Chips.png		\| image = Curry and Chips.png
	~~\| image_size = 250~~
	\| caption =		\| caption =
	\| alt_name =		\| alt_name =

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2022-08-05T14:34:53Z

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en>SnapSnap: still "is", per MOS:TVNOW

2022-08-04T16:02:29Z

still "is", per MOS:TVNOW

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{{short description|British television sitcom}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Curry and Chips.png
| image_size = 250
| caption =
| alt_name =
| runtime = 30 minutes
| creator =
| starring = [[Spike Milligan]]<br/>[[Eric Sykes]]<br/>[[Norman Rossington]]<br/>[[Kenny Lynch]]
| writer = [[Johnny Speight]]
| director = Keith Beckett
| opentheme =
| executive_producer =
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| company = [[London Weekend Television|London Weekend]]
| network = [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]
| picture_format =
| first_aired = {{start date|1969|11|21|df=y}}
| last_aired = {{end date|1969|12|26|df=y}}
| num_series = 1
| num_episodes = 6
| list_episodes =
}}
'''''Curry and Chips''''' is a British television [[sitcom]] broadcast in 1969 which was produced by [[London Weekend Television]] for the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] network.

Set on a factory floor of 'Lillicrap Ltd', it starred a [[Brownface|browned up]] [[Spike Milligan]] as an Irishman of [[Pakistani]] heritage named Kevin O'Grady, who also featured in episode 7 of the fifth series of Speight's ''[[Till Death Us Do Part]]''. It also featured [[Eric Sykes]] as the foreman, [[Norman Rossington]] as the [[shop steward]], and other regulars were [[Kenny Lynch]], and [[Sam Kydd]]. The series was written by ''[[Till Death Us Do Part]]'' writer [[Johnny Speight]], but based on an idea by Milligan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/535237/index.html|title= Screenonline: Curry and Chips|publisher= Screenonline|date=2007-04-20}}</ref> The programme was cancelled for what some (including the ITA) considered racist humour.

It was the first [[LWT]] sitcom to be broadcast in its entirety in colour,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nostalgiacentral.com/television/tv-by-decade/tv-shows-1960s/curry-chips/|title=Curry and Chips | Nostalgia Central|website=nostalgiacentral.com}}</ref> and all episodes still exist.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/curry.htm|title=Lost TV Shows on Curry and Chips|publisher=lostshows.com|date=2007-04-20|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210042518/http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/curry.htm|archivedate=10 February 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Controversy==

The ambition of ''Curry and Chips'' was purportedly to highlight [[discrimination]], rather than promote it. The [[Independent Television Authority]] disagreed, and ''Curry and Chips'' was cancelled by them after only six episodes. Speight himself later remarked, "It was the English who were made to look bigoted in the show but the people at the ITA couldn't understand that. It was London Weekend Television's first year, but only six shows went out. The ITA made LWT take it off, saying it was racist."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/curry.htm|title=Television Heaven – Curry and Chips|publisher=Television Heaven|date=2007-04-20|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210042518/http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/curry.htm|archivedate=10 February 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref> They were not alone, as amongst those who originally complained about the show were the [[Race Relations Board]].<ref>{{cite web|url=
http://www.sitcom.co.uk/sitcoms/curry_chips.shtml|title= British Sitcom Guide – Curry and Chips|publisher= British Sitcom Guide|date=2007-04-20}}</ref>

[[Screenonline]] says of the show, "though it again attempted to raise important questions, [it] lacked a strong enough voice to challenge the racist attitudes of its characters, and too much of its humour relied on the use of crude racial abuse and Milligan's caricatured performance as the charmlessly-nicknamed '[[List of ethnic slurs|Paki Paddy]]'. The shocked reaction from some viewers and cultural commentators led to the show being dropped by ITV after just six episodes, and in retrospect it is hard to understand how Speight and LWT can have failed to anticipate the offence it caused."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/1108234/index.html|title= Screenonline: Race and the sitcom|publisher= Screenonline|date=2007-04-20}}</ref>

The show was also controversial for the number of swear words in it. The word '[[bloody]]' was used 59 times in one episode, although Eric Sykes refused to swear until doing so, once, in the final episode.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/c/curryandchipsh_1299002091.shtml|title=BBC Comedy Guide – Curry and Chips|publisher= BBC|date=2007-04-20}}</ref>

Six years later, Milligan once again blacked up in the BBC series ''[[The Melting Pot (television programme)|The Melting Pot]]''. Only one episode was shown, and the other five were pulled.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/m/meltingpotthe_7774350.shtml|title=BBC Comedy Guide – The Melting Pot|publisher= BBC|date=2007-04-20}}</ref>

==DVD release==
''Curry and Chips – The Complete Series'' was released on 19 April 2010 by Network. Catalogue Number 7953165.

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|0063888}}
*{{British Comedy Guide|tv|curry_and_chips}}
*{{Screenonline TV title|535237}}

{{Johnny Speight}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Curry And Chips}}
[[Category:1969 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:1969 British television series endings]]
[[Category:1960s British sitcoms]]
[[Category:1960s British workplace comedy television series]]
[[Category:English-language television shows]]
[[Category:ITV sitcoms]]
[[Category:London Weekend Television shows]]
[[Category:Race-related controversies in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Race-related controversies in television]]
[[Category:Television controversies in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Ethnic humour]]
[[Category:Stereotypes of South Asian people]]

Curry and Chips - Revision history

Kurt at 17:25, 14 February 2023

Kurt: 1 revision imported

en>SnapSnap: still "is", per MOS:TVNOW