For the definitive dossier of UK Simpsons censorship, we refer you to the excellent ‘Snipsons’ [sic] site. An awesome work of scholarship, it includes all the scenes and dialogue cut by both Sky and the BBC plus extensive information on the discrepancies between the original American broadcasts and the various truncated versions shown around the globe.

In the USA, The Simpsons is regarded as an adult programme. In Britain, however, it is seen by networks as a children’s show, and thus edited accordingly. Cuts are made because of bad language (‘bastard’, ‘crap’, ‘son of a bitch’), sexual references (enemas downwards), and violence (usually in scenes which parody cartoon/computer game mutilation, such as ‘Itchy & Scratchy’). Specific instances of censorship range from the sinister (‘The Cartridge Family’, in which Homer buys a handgun, has been ‘banned’ by Sky and withdrawn from all syndicated repeats) to the plain pathetic (Ned Flanders’ two sons asking ‘Where’s mummy?’ in one Hallowe’en Special was cut in the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death). The most ludicrous example, however, was in the episode where Homer joined the Freemasons. Marge tells Homer that he has been invited to ‘a secret wink-wink at the house of you know who’; however, the second ‘wink’ is actually just an overdubbed repeat of the first one. Why? Because Sky thought that it sounded (note, sounded) a bit like ‘wink-wank’. We kid you not. Oddly, the blatantly libellous reference to the Stonecutters rigging the Oscars� was left intact.

Anyway, log onto the Snipsons site and find out more of this stupidity.

[NOTE (1): The episodes so far butchered by the BBC (up to and including the broadcasts of Series 6) are: ‘Moanin’ Lisa’; ‘Bart’s Dog Gets An F’; ‘Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?’; ‘When Flanders Failed’; ‘Stark Raving Dad’; ‘Saturdays Of Thunder’; ‘Bart The Lover’; ‘Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?’; ‘Kamp Krusty’; ‘Itchy & Scratchy - The Movie’; ‘Mr Plow’; ‘Lisa’s First Word’; ‘Duffless’; ‘Rosebud’; ‘Treehouse Of Horror IV’; ‘The Last Temptation Of Homer’; ‘Homer The Vigilante’; ‘Sideshow Bob Roberts’. Sky have censored many more.]

[NOTE (2): All official videocassettes of The Simpsons are the original, uncut American edits.]