Andrew Sachs as Manuel and John Cleese as Basil in Fawlty Towers on BBC
BBC classic sitcoms Dad's Army, Fawlty Towers and “Hello” Hello from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s provide clues as to why the UK voted for Brexit, the scholar suggested.
Gavin Shaffer, a historian at the University of Birmingham, said that TV shows – notably 'Allo 'Allo' – have reinforced some of the thoughts that underpinned the UK's decision to leave the European Union seven years ago.
Professor Shaffer found clues in comedies that reflect the public's ambivalence towards the EU and desire stand apart from the “continent” decades before the vote in 2016.
He found that this “lack of seriousness” freed creators and audiences to discuss things that would otherwise be inappropriate for discussion.
'Allo 'Allo, created by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, focuses on the life of René Artois, a French cafe owner in the city of Nuvion during the German occupation of France during World War II, played by Gorden Kaye.
The series follows characters such as a dishonest German officer, a local French Resistance and a couple of trapped British airmen, and Artois hides affairs with his waitresses from his wife.
Professor Schaffer said: “Many Britons have taken Allo Allo to heart as it lightheartedly reflected European differences, which ultimately spoke to the fundamental differences between the UK and its European neighbors.
“The show also tells us something about how British attitudes towards Europe changed and remained unchanged in the late 80s and early 90s as Britain moved closer to its European neighbors. Despite close ties, British Eurosceptic voices have never strayed too far from suspicions rooted in World War II.
The French characters in “Hello” “Hello” were “sexually promiscuous and cowardly”, while the Germans were “ridiculous, marching, sexually deviant and sometimes finicky and sinister”. as a deliberate attempt to end the Germanophobia of the war years and cope with the European war trauma, illustrating how the British felt that the Europeans were different from themselves, said Professor Schaffer.
“The argument that there is something specifically the British in being able to laugh at oneself was the key to much of the public affection for Allo Allo. “It helps to explain British-European relations during this period, illustrating the extent to which the British considered their views and principles to be distinct and exceptional.
“What lurks in the shadows is a nation deeply ill at ease with its European neighbors and itself. If you listen very carefully to “Hello”, then “Hello” reveals the history of a nation that remains unprepared for further European integration.”
Professor Shaffer sets out his arguments in the chapter “British comedy and the path to Brexit” in a new book titled “British Humor and World War II: Keep Smiling”.
He added: “The British on the show were foppish and goofy, the French were sexually promiscuous and cowardly (the same as the Italians but even more) and the Germans were ridiculous, lager, sexually perverted and sometimes finicky and sinister.”
Returning to Fawlty's Towers, which aired from 1975 to 1979 and starred John Cleese as Torquay innkeeper Basil Fawlty, Professor Shaffer said that in the most famous episode, “The Germans,” Britain's relationship with Europe has been used as the “elephant in the room”.
British comedy – FT
In the episode, which aired just a few months after the British voted to remain in the European Economic Community in 1975, Fawlty is “released from a head injury to say things he would otherwise consider taboo.” said Professor Shaffer.
This has led him to be known to repeatedly tell his staff not to “talk about the war” when German guests arrive, as well as commenting on the results of the 1975 referendum, saying, “I didn't vote for that myself.” , to be honest, but now that we're in business, I'm determined to make it work.”
Dad's army told stories about a group of volunteers in the British militia during World War II who were not eligible for military service under age, health, or emancipation.
Dad's Army cast
Professor Schaffer said that the series that ran from 1968 to 1977, written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and starring Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring, depicts the war “as a period of national cooperation when Britain really was 'Britain'”. .
“That the aged, deformed and incompetent Militia characters (as they were portrayed in Father’s Army) were willing to stand and fight despite their personal failings became a model of British character, reinforced by the fact that they always found a way (whether by truth or not) to win,” he added.
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