Despite its brief two-season run, Fawlty Towers is still regarded as one of Britain’s best sitcoms. With its incisive humor, frantic pacing, and endearing characters, the series—which starred John Cleese as the quirky and grumpy hotel owner Basil Fawlty—quickly rose to fame as a comedy classic. But one scene in particular caused so much uproar that the program was momentarily taken off the air.

The moment in question was taken from the episode “The Germans,” when Basil, who has been concussed and is becoming more and more unstable, keeps saying the notorious line “don’t mention the war.” Later reruns of the episode received criticism for a supporting character’s vocabulary, which was deemed racially unpleasant even at the time, even if the comedy was directed at Basil’s own ineptitude and rudeness.

The program was shown unaltered for years, but broadcasters finally made the decision to modify or temporarily remove it from schedules due to shifting cultural norms and a rising awareness of archaic terminology. This action rekindled discussions about whether vintage television should be controlled, preserved as a product of its time, or adapted for younger audiences.

Fawlty Towers continues to be one of the most cherished comedies in television history in spite of the controversy. To secure its status as a cultural icon, John Cleese and his co-creator Connie Booth created a program that struck a mix between comedy and scathing social criticism. Although the so-called “infamous scene” may have sparked controversy, it also shows how comedy changes with time and how even timeless masterpieces are reevaluated in light of contemporary sensibilities.