SCARY STUFF
A BANNED Teletubbies sketch — titled The Lion and The Bear — has been revealed after decades.
An uncensored version of the sketch, which is from 1997, has been released on YouTube.
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Teletubbies was a beloved British children’s television programme about four colourful characters — Tinky Winky, Laa-Laa, Dipsy and Po — who roamed around a grassy floral landscape whenever they weren’t hanging out in their earth house, the Tubbytronic Superdome.
The original series ran from 1997 to 2001.
Anyone who watched the show might remember that it was funny, colourful, and educational, but typically not scary.
However, one Teletubbies sketch which was broadcast in 1997 was actually so terrifying that it was banned in countries around the world.
In the US, the entire episode which featured The Lion and The Bear sketch was outlawed by PBS after the backlash it received.
In 1999 it was banned in even more countries, and by 2001, BBC bosses had decided to censor the sketch for UK viewers.
The Lion and The Bear was a sketch about two cardboard cutout characters who were, unsurprisingly, a lion and a bear.
The Bear arrived first, followed by the lion, who was chasing her.
In the original sketch, the Teletubbies were terrified by the arrival of the Bear who creepily repeated the same sentence several times.
“I’m the Bear, I’m the Bear, and I’m coming!” she repeated.
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After she appeared on screen, she continued rhyming in her terrifying voice.
“I’m the Bear, I’m the Bear, with brown fuzzy hair. I’m hiding from the Lion but he doesn’t know where,” she said.
Then the “scary” Lion arrived.
“I am the scary Lion, with big scary teeth. I’m scary on the top and I’m underneath,” he growled.
This dialogue was followed by a dramatic chase scene across the green hills while Laa-Laa told his fellow Teletubbies to hide.
These scenes proved to be too traumatising for young viewers and were called out by parents for not being “age appropriate.”
One review from 1997 even dubbed the scene as “the greatest horror film of all time”.
Four years later the BBC edited the sketch to make it more child-friendly.
In the censored sketch, many of the original elements had been changed.
Now the Teletubbies appeared excited about the arrival of the Bear. The Bear’s voice had also been edited to sound less scary and the menacing music was swapped out for something more upbeat.
Instead of being scared by the Bear, the Teletubbies now giggle at her presence.
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They continue to laugh all the way through and celebrate when the Lion chases the Bear far away, instead of running away themselves.
Watch The Lion and The Bear on YouTube.
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