Rampage of the Cancerous Black Spot

[EDM]

I have some off-the-air recordings of MPFC episodes, and in one
of the animated bits ("Rampage of the Cancerous Black Spot"),
Michael Palin tells a story of an enchanted prince who finds a
black spot on his face. Now in my recording the line goes,
"Foolishly, he ignored it...and three years later he died of syphilis",
but in every rerun I've seen of that episode the word syphilis is
overdubbed (rather obviously) with either "cancer", or, in one
case, "gangrene".

Anyone know the history of this edit? Was the word syphilis
considered too risque by British censors at the time?

[Albert Sims]

Post by EDM
I have some off-the-air recordings of MPFC episodes, and in one
of the animated bits ("Rampage of the Cancerous Black Spot"),
Michael Palin tells a story of an enchanted prince who finds a
black spot on his face. Now in my recording the line goes,
"Foolishly, he ignored it...and three years later he died of syphilis",
but in every rerun I've seen of that episode the word syphilis is
overdubbed (rather obviously) with either "cancer", or, in one
case, "gangrene".
Anyone know the history of this edit? Was the word syphilis
considered too risque by British censors at the time?

First time I've heard "syphilis" being used. In the original airing,
Carol Cleveland is narrating the story, and says "cancer". In later
years, a male voice is dubbed in JUST over the word "cancer", that says
"gangrene". Not sure why the change, unless the group was just being
sensitive to Graham's throat cancer...

[EDM]

Post by Albert Sims

Post by EDM
I have some off-the-air recordings of MPFC episodes, and in one
of the animated bits ("Rampage of the Cancerous Black Spot"),
Michael Palin tells a story of an enchanted prince who finds a
black spot on his face. Now in my recording the line goes,
"Foolishly, he ignored it...and three years later he died of syphilis",
but in every rerun I've seen of that episode the word syphilis is
overdubbed (rather obviously) with either "cancer", or, in one
case, "gangrene".
Anyone know the history of this edit? Was the word syphilis
considered too risque by British censors at the time?

First time I've heard "syphilis" being used. In the original airing,
Carol Cleveland is narrating the story, and says "cancer". In later
years, a male voice is dubbed in JUST over the word "cancer", that says
"gangrene". Not sure why the change, unless the group was just being
sensitive to Graham's throat cancer...

Ah ok, I wasn't remembering it correctly. I came across this:
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/sotcaa/sotcaa_python.html?/sotcaa/pythonpages/python_press_1990_99.html

"Gilliam: The BBC censored something on repeats, the 'Black Spot'
thing. [In an animated section in the second series, a handsome young
prince discovers a spot on his face. 'Foolishly he ignored it,' says a
female narrator, 'and three years later he died of cancer.' In later
broadcasts, the word 'cancer' was replaced with 'gangrene', spoken
by a male.] It's extraordinary that the word 'cancer' was so frightening
to them that they had to cut the word out."

So strange, I could have sworn the word syphilis was used in
that line.

[Albert Sims]

Post by EDM

Post by Albert Sims

Post by EDM
I have some off-the-air recordings of MPFC episodes, and in one
of the animated bits ("Rampage of the Cancerous Black Spot"),
Michael Palin tells a story of an enchanted prince who finds a
black spot on his face. Now in my recording the line goes,
"Foolishly, he ignored it...and three years later he died of
syphilis", but in every rerun I've seen of that episode the word
syphilis is overdubbed (rather obviously) with either "cancer", or,
in one
case, "gangrene".
Anyone know the history of this edit? Was the word syphilis
considered too risque by British censors at the time?

First time I've heard "syphilis" being used. In the original
airing, Carol Cleveland is narrating the story, and says "cancer".
In later years, a male voice is dubbed in JUST over the word
"cancer", that says "gangrene". Not sure why the change, unless the
group was just being sensitive to Graham's throat cancer...

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/sotcaa/sotcaa_python.html?/sotcaa/pythonpages/python_press_1990_99.html
"Gilliam: The BBC censored something on repeats, the 'Black Spot'
thing. [In an animated section in the second series, a handsome young
prince discovers a spot on his face. 'Foolishly he ignored it,' says a
female narrator, 'and three years later he died of cancer.' In later
broadcasts, the word 'cancer' was replaced with 'gangrene', spoken
by a male.] It's extraordinary that the word 'cancer' was so
frightening
to them that they had to cut the word out."
So strange, I could have sworn the word syphilis was used in
that line.

I have an audiocassette of the episode in question I recorded from PBS in
the late 1970's. The word "cancer" was there back then. In the DVD box set
released by A & E, they use the "gangrene" edit.

[Nullibicity]

Post by Albert Sims

Post by EDM

Post by Albert Sims

Post by EDM
I have some off-the-air recordings of MPFC episodes, and in one
of the animated bits ("Rampage of the Cancerous Black Spot"),
Michael Palin tells a story of an enchanted prince who finds a
black spot on his face. Now in my recording the line goes,
"Foolishly, he ignored it...and three years later he died of
syphilis", but in every rerun I've seen of that episode the word
syphilis is overdubbed (rather obviously) with either "cancer", or,
in one
case, "gangrene".
Anyone know the history of this edit? Was the word syphilis
considered too risque by British censors at the time?

First time I've heard "syphilis" being used. In the original
airing, Carol Cleveland is narrating the story, and says "cancer".
In later years, a male voice is dubbed in JUST over the word
"cancer", that says "gangrene". Not sure why the change, unless the
group was just being sensitive to Graham's throat cancer...

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/sotcaa/sotcaa_python.html?/sotcaa/pythonpages/pyth
on_press_1990_99.html
"Gilliam: The BBC censored something on repeats, the 'Black Spot'
thing. [In an animated section in the second series, a handsome young
prince discovers a spot on his face. 'Foolishly he ignored it,' says a
female narrator, 'and three years later he died of cancer.' In later
broadcasts, the word 'cancer' was replaced with 'gangrene', spoken
by a male.] It's extraordinary that the word 'cancer' was so
frightening
to them that they had to cut the word out."
So strange, I could have sworn the word syphilis was used in
that line.

I have an audiocassette of the episode in question I recorded from PBS in
the late 1970's. The word "cancer" was there back then. In the DVD box set
released by A & E, they use the "gangrene" edit.

I don't think I've ever heard the cancer version. Actually, I think the
gangrene version is better, both because the edit is so blatant (I first
thought it was supposed to be like that) and "gangrene" is a funnier
word than "cancer."

[P]

This post might be inappropriate. Click to display it.

[Pimpleboy]

Methinks that the CANCER version of that sketch is shown in the 1971 film,
"And Now For Something Completely Different". I'll gladly eat my cat if
I'm mistaken.

[P]

Post by Pimpleboy
Methinks that the CANCER version of that sketch is shown in the 1971 film,
"And Now For Something Completely Different". I'll gladly eat my cat if
I'm mistaken.

You could well be right. This is one Python work I rarely revisit - the
whole thing was a mistake.