Classic entertainment channel Rewind TV says it can’t broadcast the classic episode on its linear channel due to a fear of breaching Ofcom rules.
- Rules restrict linear broadcast, but different rules mean its OK to stream online.
- Rewind TV says episode will stream uncut but with “clear viewer guidance”.
Rewind TV announces the long-awaited return of Jack Hylton Presents: The Tony Hancock Show, marking the first public showing of these formative television performances in
seven decades.
The rediscovered material captures a young Tony Hancock alongside fellow stars Dick Emery
and June Whitfield, offering an invaluable window into the birth of post-war British comedy.
To preserve historical integrity and context, one specific episode containing period language and attitudes and themes will debut exclusively on YouTube from Sunday 31 August, presented uncut with clear viewer guidance.
Rewind TV says the decision reflects the reality small linear broadcasters face: a “safety-first” culture driven by fear of Ofcom sanctions that encourages pre-emptive edits to classic material.
“Chilling effect” of Ofcom
The current broadcast rules means smaller broadcasters including Rewind TV, Talking Pictures and That’s TV are effectively required to censor content that would be OK to stream online.
Noting that small companies feel the “chilling effect” of potential fines most acutely, Jonathan Moore of Rewind TV said: “Many broadcasters live in permanent fear of falling foul of Ofcom guidelines.”
He has called for a modernised approach and a ‘presumption of innocence’ for historically significant broadcasts, provided they’re shown with appropriate context.
“This is more than just television history, it’s comic gold, unseen for seven decades,” added Richard Latto of Rewind TV.
Campaigners who are calling for change point out that a de-facto Ofcom double-standard exists. Under the current “two-tier” system, linear TV is regulated against the Ofcom Broadcasting Code on a programme-by-programme basis. Meanwhile, user-to-user video platforms (e.g., YouTube) are overseen under a different framework focused on systems and illegal-content/child-safety duties rather than the Broadcasting Code’s taste, decency and due-impartiality rules.
Ofcom has previously said it thinks its rules and research “help broadcasters to strike the right balance”. It said viewers “welcome being warned about this kind of content at the start of programmes”.
Why YouTube for this one episode?
Campaigners argue that while Ofcom stresses context and warnings in principle, actual day-to-day outcomes for smaller broadcasters can feel inconsistent. This, they say, creates a “culture of fear” and a de-facto pressure to cut. As an example of this “lottery,” in the comedy-drama Brass the word “queer” was removed while near-synonyms remained.
A YouTube-exclusive presentation allows Rewind TV to provide full historical context without
erasing or slicing material, so audiences can evaluate the work as it was made.
How to watch
YouTube-exclusive premiere (one episode): The historically sensitive episode will debut on the official Rewind TV YouTube channel with prominent on-screen guidance. (Premiere 31st August 15:00) www.youtube.com/@RewindTVUK.
- Rewind TV’s linear channel is available on Sky satellite channel 182, Freeview 81 and Freely (with aerial) channel 141.
By: Marc Thornham