Bye-de-bye.

The great Jimmy Perry died this week, aged 93. He co-wrote some of Britain’s favourite sitcoms including Hi-de-Hi, It Ain’t Half Hot Mum and Dad’s Army. It was It Ain’t Half Hot Mum that caused him a little consternation. Immensely popular in the mid-70s, it then fell out of favour because Michael Bates had “browned up” to play an Indian character. But as Jimmy Perry was at great pains to point out: in the UK in 1974, there were very few Indian actors. Michael Bates, whose father was in the army, was brought up in India and spoke fluent Hindi. That’s why he got the part. But the fake tan on his face, which offended nobody at the time, has since been deemed offensive. And yet somehow this “comedy classic” is still regarded as fine. But then, silly me, it’s Peter Sellers. So therefore it must be genius.