The British sitcom so offensive it was banned after one episode

The British sitcom Heil Honey I’m Home, featuring and Eva Braun as neighbours to a Jewish couple, was commissioned for a full eight-episode series in 1990 and had high expectations.

The pilot episode aired after on a Sunday night, parodying American sitcoms of the 1950s with all characters adopting American accents. However, following a backlash, the remaining seven episodes never saw the light of day.

Set in 1938 Berlin, the show portrays the Hitlers living next door to a Jewish couple, the Goldensteins, and has been labelled “perhaps the world’s most tasteless situation comedy”. Within a minute of the show starting, Hitler, portrayed by Neil McCaul, enters the room and shouts “Heil, honey, I’m home” to his wife Eva Braun, played by Denica Fairman.

The episode is filled with references to invading Poland and Adolf being described as either a “very very bad Hitler” or a “naughty Hitler”.

Early in the episode, Adolf tells Eva that he is expecting a visit from Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, played by Patrick Cargill, who later makes Adolf sign a document – the Munich Agreement – promising not to invade Europe to maintain peace, reports .

As the plot in the pilot unfolds, viewers can infer his hatred for his neighbours who seem content to live next door to the Fuhrer, as he is also referred to in the episode.

Adolf confides in his wife, saying: “If I was to invade Poland, who would be the first to know? Rosa Goldenstein,” as he attempts to keep the Prime Minister’s visit under wraps.

Eva tells Rosa about the impending visit, subtly bragging about her husband’s career. Rosa then hatches a plan to meet Chamberlain, along with her husband, and even introduce him to her niece Ruth, portrayed by Laura Brattan.

In the midst of the episode’s chaos, which includes Nazi salutes, references to the Polish invasion, the Czech Republic and other clumsy humour attempts, all five characters end up doing the Conga around Hitler’s living room.

British TV writer Geoff Atkinson’s aim for the show was to “turn the bully into a joke,” and not to cause offence, but the show didn’t go down well.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews were among the most outspoken critics. A representative for the organisation stated: “We are against any trivialisation of the Second World War, Hitler or the Holocaust and this certainly trivialises those things. It’s very distasteful.”

The series’ filming was halted after the pilot when commissioning company British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB) was acquired by Rupert Murdoch’s Sky Television in November 1990.

The claimed that: “The cast and crew contracts were retired and Sky made ‘a commercial decision’ to focus on US-based comedies rather than controversial home-grown shows.”

Geoff Atkinson has clarified his intentions and acknowledged the show’s delicate subject matter. He told Entertainment Weekly: “One was to laugh at bullies. It seems like the right thing to do; as we speak, somebody’s probably writing a Trump sitcom. I would love to write a Trump sitcom.

“Another goal was looking at the sitcom genre. This show was staged like it was the 1950s. We had to ape the American sitcom brilliantly – be American and not be American.”

Atkinson elaborated on the ambitions for the show, stressing their commitment to innovation without causing upset: “Everyone was aware of the sensitivities; the last thing we wanted was to offend.

“At the time, the channel wanted something fresh, and there was a sense of ‘as long as it’s original and something you can defend it, you should say it.’ I don’t think we entirely delivered. There’s an awful lot I’d do differently.”

Meanwhile, actress Caroline Gruber, who starred as Rosa Goldenstein, stepped in to defend the series and said the script made her laugh.

The Jewish actress told Culture: “I was sensitive about doing anything that was offensive or upsetting. I didn’t think Heil Honey was either, I thought it was so funny.

“When I was reading through the scripts for the other episodes that Geoff had written, I couldn’t get through them, I had tears pouring down my cheeks. I was of the opinion and still am now that within reason, people should take risks. If it’s funny, if it works, it’s OK.”

McCaul, who portrayed the notorious dictator, has maintained a silence on discussing the contentious series having been “badly burned” before, but he hasn’t bowed out from the limelight. Credits to his name span across notable works like Time After Time, Father Ted, and Gnomeo and Juliet.

Gruber’s career trajectory didn’t falter either, moving seamlessly into theatre and on-screen efforts such as her role in the 2017 film Disobedience, exploring a Jewish woman’s unorthodox homecoming.

Equally unfazed by their participation in the sitcom is Denica Fairman, who played Eva Braun on the show, landing roles in Captain Star, Sleepers, and musical projects including Feed Me.

Meanwhile, Gareth Marks, who played Arny Goldenstein, made appearances in Bridget Jones’s Diary, Bugs, Mile High and even scored a part in ‘s The Crown.

He revealed: “Nobody ever mentioned it in auditions. If they saw it on my CV they might ask about it, but it didn’t affect my career at all. I think it was because so few people actually saw it.”

Brattan, known for her role as Ruth, later starred in Tomorrow Never Dies and Menace.

Tragically, Cargill, who played Chamberlain, died aged 77 in 1995 due to a brain tumour.