Indians React to "You could set up as chai wallah in Piccadilly Circus!" It Ain't Half Hot Mum
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 9 сен 2024
- Hey Guys, today we are going to react to - "You could set up as chai wallah in Piccadilly Circus!" It Ain't Half Hot Mum
Keep Loving!
Mailing Address -
Joginder Singh
Shop No. 1, Beside Aksar Bhavan,
Opp. Dada Market, Begumwadi
Surat, Gujarat - 395003
INDIA
The guy on the right was actually an Englishman who was raised in India, and he was fluent in the language. People object to the fact that he coloured himself as Indian in the show. His screen character showed him as an Indian who THOUGHT himself as English, and that made him funnier as he obviously was not English. It was a very funny programme to both British and Indian audiences, but we have too many pc people who do not want to enjoy the comedy. So it's banned from mainstream tv. What a shame.
It's not banned- it's been repeated for the last 18 months
Michael Bates wasn't just raised in India, he was born there.
It wasn't unusual during the Raj for British Indians serving in Army Intelligence to dress as natives very convincingly in order to gain knowledge of movements in hotspots like the Northwest Frontier. Also, in my view the smartest uniform a British Indian officer could wear, if accepted into the regiment, would be that of the Bengal Lancers, replete with turban, kurta (long jacket) & sash. Of course he'd have to supply his own horses, be fluent in the language & accepting of Sikh belief & custom. Ultimately, he doesn't choose the regiment, if accepted by the officers & men the regiment chooses him. 🇮🇳 🇬🇧
@@simontomlinson6484 Not by the BBC who produced it. They will never show it.
Bates was born in Jhansi, United Provinces, India. he was not English.
This is not a racist show. It reflected what was happening in the 1940s. Please note that EVERYONE in the programme was an idiot, so no one was treated favourably. It was a comedy. We loved it, and I believe Indian families in Britain would make time to watch it and laugh in the mid 1970s. Because they knew a comedy when they saw it! Today, it is viewed as racist, and I think that is very sad. If we're all laughing together at idiots, where is the hatred?
i DON'T THINK THE INDIAN CHARACTER'S WERE SEEN AS IDIOTS -----THE BRITISH ARMY STAFF, AND THE LOWER RANKS YES, AFTER ALL. THEY WERE DELIBERATELY SET-UP,
BECAUSE BEING MEN, DRESSED AS WOMEN FOR THEIR CONCERT PARTY, WAS BASED ON FACTS, NOT ONLY WERE THERE SUCH GROUPS , EVERYWHERE , IN ALL WW2 PLACES OF WAR. THE SCRIPT WRITER HIMSELF, WAS IN INDIA DURING THE WAR, AND BASED HIS BRILLIANT COMEDY SERIES ON FACTS.
@@MrDaiseymay Stop shouting.
Yes, the British officers and the wider establishment were the ones who had most fun poked at them and were shown as inept.
Apart from Lofty
@@johnsmith8410 Sing Lofty
I'm a Brit and it's lovely to know that there are lovely people like you in the World...
Thankyou ❤
Michael Bates (who played Ranga Ram in this clip) was actually born in Jhansi, United Provinces, British India in 1920. His father served as Deputy Secretary of the Revenue Department and a Member of the Board of Revenue for the United Provinces of India until 1947 (in which year he was created CSI) and was later of the Colonial Office. Bates's mother, Sarah Clarke Walker (1896-1982) was daughter of William Hammond Walker, also of Congleton. Bates spent his early years in India, speaking Hindi and Urdu as his first languages before learning English, and remaining fluent in the former two languages for the rest of his life.
and was on last of the summer wine until he left which paved the way for foggy dewhurst
@@Nick_Jarrett he only stopped doing ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ due to a terminal illness meant he only had the energy to do one and he chose ‘It Ain’t Half Hot Mum’ simply because at the time it was much more popular (the ratings of ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ soared later on particularly in the 80s).
Also a good actor who played many good parts
@@jonteunon2977 As I heard it, his cancer restricted his mobility so he chose the show in which he had to move around less.
@@Nick_Jarrett The Man From Oswestry episode when Foggy came into it, I believe?
The show was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft. Croft was a serving officer posted to India in the tail end of the war whilst Perry was part of The Royal Artillery Concert Party on which the programme is based. Like all good comedy it relies on elements of truth, which the series certainly had. Michael Bates was astonishing as Ranji Ram in that he was raised in India and spoke fluent Urdu. Unfortunately he had cancer and it is noticeable in the third series that he sits a lot and walks with the aid of a staff. He died in 1978. He was accused of blacking up but according to Indians who have watched the show, his portrayal is affectionately accurate especially the mannerisms, attitude and accent. Bates was a fine actor and his portrayal of Montgomery in the film ‘Patton’ is extraordinary.
The snake belt on the turban was always funny. All Indian with a touch of British.
Yeah i noticed the snake belt ... funny, ... i think many of my generation had those as children.
@@hardywatkins7737
I remember well having them as a child.
as a brit myself may i say i love indians, known so many in my life and they were all great people
Based in Hong Kong '83-86, and the guy working in the 660 Sqn canteen was proud to be called, and introduced himself as, the Char Wallah. It was a badge of honour and not derision.
Michael Bates although born of English parents in India was well aware of the culture of India and based the character off real people who he spent much time with. He knew the character he played would make people laugh because the real life characters made him laugh, not at, but with. He was well respected by the actual Indian actors in the show and spent much time rehearsing with them.
This show was made in an era where people didn’t get offended that easily and certainly didn’t get offended on someone else’s behalf.
It is what it is, actors playing different characters, characters who were odd in nature. Windsor Davies for example an Englishman born to Welsh parents who really played on his Welshness (being brought up in Wales) as the stereotypical sergeant major who based his character on a real person he came across whilst serving with the East Surrey Regiment during national service. Also Don Estelle who was never offended by people laughing because he was short in stature and having the ironic name of Lofty as a character.
It’s the way British humour was, laugh at others but also have the humour to laugh at ourselves. I think most people will have come across someone in their lives who they could relate to a character from It ain’t half hot mum.
Michael Bates almost always said "we British", when telling a tale or explaining something...
He was actually from India...
A lot of talk about Michael Bates so I'm going to mention the other guy, Dino Shafeek, who went on to appear in another sitcom, Mind Your Language. He sadly died in 1984.
Mind your language was a great show😂
@@richteezer1to my surprise when I worked in the Middle East recently, two work friends, a Pakistani and a Saudi, both described it as their favourite all time TV show - and they both had the box set! They said it reminded them of learning English (obviously an exaggerated version!)
From my own experience, as a foreigner in another country learning a language with other foreigners (I took Norwegian classes in Norway and Arabic classes in the Middle East), we had many hilarious moments where we got things wrong or mangled the language.
Of course Mind Your Language had many stereotype characters, but obviously it didn't offend my friends, likewise if someone made a new version of it in a different country and made fun of a stereotypical English person trying to learn a new language, I'm sure I'd laugh at it!
I must agree Dino was a great actor
@@MikePhillips-pl6ov my Pakistani mate said his family loved it and the other one, Goodness Gracious Me. All those were not racist. Nothing nasty was said or done. Like Love Thy Neighbour the character who always came undone was the white fella.
Yes, as a comedy actor one of the best @stuartryan610
This was when the British knew how to laugh at each other... Now you're not allowed to laugh at anyone or anything... Our Country has become a very sad place 😢
Said NO ONE who watched modern comedy
I read this show was popular in India, I liked it as a kid, it was set in the war and was centred around a British army concert party. Some of the older generation of Indians/Pakistanis coming over in the 1960's/70's considered themselves British. I don't think there was widespread hatred for the British, that's just how things are portrayed now. For me there's a strong link between the UK and India and it works both ways.
Have spent years in Pakistan, a fabulous country, and came across no hatred of Britain from young or old. A wonderful acceptance of that's how things were, no point getting narky.
This was one of my favourite shows growing up. My favourite character had to be Bombardier 'Gloria' Beaumont played by Melvin Hayes.
At 89 he's still active, guesting in the comedy series _Not Going Out_ in 2023.
@@hypsyzygy506 I actually thought he was dead. Its good to hear he is still going and still acting
This was a funny show that had both cultures laughing. Most British comedy portrays the characters as fools & victims of circumstance. The Indian characters in this program were the smart ones, the British being pompous & at times stupid. Good to see you enjoying our comedy
The actors were in a studio in London. The both lived in Britain and were putting on the accents. The one on the right polishing the boots was born in India, but was naturally pale skinned and blue eyed. He spoke excellent Hindi, though. people today accuse this series of racism against the Indians, but it is anything but. The main ridiculous characters are the British, and most of the time, the Indian characters have a better idea of what is going on, and almost all the bad stuff happens to the Brits.
His parents were white British, which is why he was blue eyed and pale skinned.
When this was on TV my Indian born neighbours thought that this was hilarious! Mainly because EVERY character was a complete idiot!! 🙂
It's a great shame that you don't show the clip in a larger screen and then comment on it. This is a classic series that will never be re-run as it's probably considered racist by the minority who feel they are offended on behalf of others. I am an Indian and I still find it hilarious! 🤔🙄🤣🇬🇧🇮🇳🇬🇧
Haven't seen this show for years .. first thing I noticed was the elastic snake belt he always wears on his turbin, every school boy in my area wore one ..( on our pants ..hehe) ... I saw one in a shop a few years ago and bought it because of my memories of this show..lol
Bearer Rangi Ram (Micheal Bates) also played Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery in the movie Patton.
Yes, I think the reference in this scene to Montgomery was a bit of an in-joke by the script-writers. By the way, there is a story that Michael Bates phoned up the producer of Patton and, speaking in Montgomery's voice, told him that no other actor should play him but that splendid fellow Michael Bates!
I watched this as a kid, all of the characters in that show were loved by the British public. All playing proper characters.
Lovely memories of this series when I was at school in the 70s and the catchphrases would waft around the playground like spiced tea.
It was funny. All the characters were funny and the actors were brilliant in retrospect. It was comedy.
It's good to see that Indian and British people share the same sense of irony and humour. This show was great, because it poked fun at both the indaian and British people in this absurd situation of colonization We Brits, have always had a self efacing sense of humour. If you can't laugh at youreslf you are doomed to be arrogant!
I worked with a bunch of Indians in London in 1979 to 1980 and they loved It Ain't 'Alf hot Mum and they absolutely loved it.
I was even given an Indian name.
It’s crazy how some people think genuine Indian people would be offended by someone portraying them, I know the actor was born in India but yet no offence shown.
USED TO LOVE THIS IN THE 70s CAN YOU REACT TO MORE ? 😊
The BBC refused flatly to repeat this brilliant series on the grounds that it offended Indians!
I wonder if they asked any Indians?
I loved this show as a kid ,if we can't laugh at ourselves, then there is no comedy .
I loved this when I saw it as a kid. I now have the DVD of this programme ao I can watch it when I want.
:grins: One thing I can say that shows how things have changed over the decades ... when I watched this as a youngster I had no trouble telling what the 'Indian' characters were saying as I was used to the accent. Now I found it a bit of a struggle - of course that is probably at least partially down to the audio quality of the old tapes :chuckles:
As an aside, have you ever heard of the film "East is East"? Altho' it's a comedy, it had some serious insights to make on the integration, or lack of it, of certain strata of Indian society into British society. What was quite prophetic was that Indian folk that came to Britain had an entrepreneurial nature and also an appreciation of the culture they were joining by escaping the caste system whilst the Pakistani's were pretty much the reverse, bringing their 'baggage' with them and not integrating at all.
This is when you could make good comedy shows no indians complained in fact they probalby loved this show
Michael Bates played Blamire in The Last of the Summer Wine.
Pip Pip! We were ruled over by the Romans for 500 years and is all we have is respect for them! Evolution has many faces..
Assuming you're referring to England, the Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings didn't arrive until after the Romans had left.
@@geoffpoole483True but the Roman Province of Britannia covered pretty much the same geographic areas as England with just some minor movement of the northern border which itself varied during the Roman period between Hadrian's wall (in modern day England) and the Antonine wall (in modern Scotland).
Who mentioned the Romans? Btw it was 400 years actually, and the idea that the English have a deep rooted respect for the Roman empire within our modern culture is one of the weirdest thing I've heard. It's almost as if you're trying to justify our colonization of half the world and the horrors we wrought there and that these cultures should somehow be grateful and respectful to us for it.
Pip pip old chap 🙄
@@geoffpoole483 ....and were NEVER ruled by the Romans.
@@stoneagepig3768 typical, no respect for the Romans.
This was a great comedy show of the 1970's. The British in it (especially the officers) were lampooned as idiots for the most part. I think it has been blocked from repeats on UK television not because of any racist elements. More likely the rather dated references about homosexuality. The bullying sergeant major, played by Winsor Davies, referred to the army concert party troops as a bunch of poofs on a regular basis for example.
Good point, never thought of that.
But then we could say the show was making fun of those comments and how some people thought back then.
@@MikePhillips-pl6ov I wish the TV schedulers saw it that way. You'll never see repeats of 'Love Thy Neighbour' or the early ''Til Death us do Part' for similar reasons. Even some dialogue from Fawlty Towers and Rising Damp are edited out of TV repeats. You'll only see the Majors superb rant about watching India play cricket at The Oval online these days.
@@slaphead55 no wonder women get confused about what to call the West Indians then if they don't have the major to explain things.
i'd like to see you both react to "Mind Your Language"
First episode especially, the introduction to the teacher and the students.
I used to love this show as a kid.
I had a crush on the young guy in this sketch ❤
All the characters were so funny but the powers that be won't allow that kind of p**s take any more 😮
They don't realise that the actors weren't laughing at the Indian people, they were laughing at the British people in India.... big difference!!
Thank you for enjoying this. It was a great show and much loved.
Please show more episodes you will laugh your socks off guaranteed🤣
Fantastic British comedy should be replayed
Really interesting to see you guys reaction to this program. This program is now virtual banned from being rerun in the U.K. because of “cultural insensitivity”. As I’m not of Indian heritage I would have no idea if this is true but I can see that you both saw the humour and neither of you seemed offended by the portrayal of Indian nationals. So I wonder if this is another example of white Europeans being offended on behalf of Indian nationals
When this came out I was probably 10 or so, it was funny, tongue in cheek, some of the episodes are very heart warming. India , or being in the commonwealth was something to be proud of.
People criticise the show for not having an Indian actor in Michael Bates' role but apparently the BBC tried to cast an Indian and failed to get any takers, so Bates', with his heritage & experience was the next best thing. I'm glad to see the humour's still appreciated by Indian viewers :)
Loved it,My dad was in India with the RAF.We always watched this as a family 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Glad you two liked it the guys in the clip and Windsor Davies were the stars of the show so funny 😂❤
Best British comedies of the 70s would include Porridge, The Good Life and Dad's Army among others.
Such a realistic accent i think the watcher probably thought he was actually Indian amazing talent
its a very funny series ,it very good! more i aint half hot mum please!
About 20 odd years ago I was serving in the British Army as a Captain. A colleague went travelling in India whilst he was on leave, and during his trip he was on a long train journey during which an old grey haired man and his family joined him in the same carriage and they struck up a conversation.
The discussed the history of India and many issues, and during the conversation the old man said 'The trouble with all these bloody Indians is.....'. When there was a pause, my colleague repeated what he had said, that he was interested to learn of his perspective, and how he considered his own identity.
His response - 'I am British. I was born under the British Raj, and India was much better when the British were here'.
He said it was a very interesting moment to hear his perspective, even if it might not be shared by everyone.
I would like to think that in the context of everything that happened in the past, and the present, that there is very much a mutual understanding and respect for each other's cultures. It is interesting that Indian food remains one of the most popular cuisines in the UK, loved by many.
I used to love this show.... Please react to more. Thank you.
Michael Hammond Bates. A British bloke born in India in 1920 and sadly passed away, much to early, in 1978.
And like a lot of the British comedy from the 1960's and 70's, now not able to be seen on mainstream TV as thought to be _"far to inflammatory for the viewing public."_
How times have changed, eh? _C'est la vie..._
PS My dad was in India during WWII. He always had the highest respect for the Sheikhs. 😉👍
There is an in joke about the setting being Deolali - it was one of the better established Indian Army bases. It was also home of a large medical center where British troops who diagnosed with short term mental illness (PTSD, etc.) were sent.
In slang of the 1940's "he's gone Deolali" was used as "for he has been sent to the mad house". Having a concert party who act very differently to societal norms of the times based there is a huge wink at this.
A truly funny show with so many lovable characters. Asian guys I worked with also liked it especially when the Indian characters spoke in their own language doing literal translations of British sayings such as 'no bloody chance' etc. 😄
I'm amazed they never commented on raj! His acting was so well done and obviously his accent was good he passed with flying colours. It's good to see people of colour appreciating our older comedy which was never done in bad taste,its just the modern woke clowns who feel privelaged and wounded because they can!
I am happy to see that you can laugh at this as we British can also laugh at ourselves.
Bates, dude in the Turban, was the prison officer in clockwork orange.
It was a great comedy. There was nothing racist. Thanks for putting it on. its brought back many fond memories for. Me as a child❤
this show was soooooo funny and not racist
Well, this is a surprise. They're probably not allowed to show this in the UK but I always loved it.
Michael Bates was a true man, in his last session he was in terrible pain from cancer, but he still soldered on... the program was never the same after he sadly died..
I believe the first episode does say it's set in 1945, closing months of the war.
So nice to hear from people who aren’t offended by a white actor, Michael Bates, wearing makeup to look Indian. It will always remain one of my favourite comedies. ❤️
Don't worry- those very same people will be first in the queue to complain about a black actress playing Anne Boleyn
Better than "citizen khan", the bbc should repeat it.
Michael Bates was born in India. This is not a racist show, more of a caricature.
Michael Bates, such a brilliant actor, I watched it when first aired and i didn't pick up on it being him, there was some Indians actors who said that he played the role better than any Indian actor could.
Everyone's an idiot with their own cultural stereotype mocked for its own sillyness especially us Brits😍
Not often mentioned is the fact that he wears a snake belt around his turban. A very popular belt with trendy teenagers at the time
The best of humour, everybody enjoying the peculiarities of their own idiosyncrasies.
One of the greatest shows ever.
This show was not racist, it was a comedy and reflected the times of those far off days towards the end of WW2. It was writtten by individuals who had lived through those times and iwho had personal experience of the Raj.
I have Indian friend whose dad has EVERY EPISODE of this on vhs - sometimes we come in and hes put on a tape and is laughing so much.. ❤
This was such a funny show. My dad used to tell us about the chai wallas on the train stations in the war.
It is a classic series
I used to watch as a kid growing up in the 70s 😂
We have had British Indians in the UK for over 150 years, Queen Victoria learnt Hindi from man service. We use Hindi words in English.
I absolutely Loved this show…..it is so funny 😂 the guy Mohammad was in comedy in the 70’s called Mind your Language….😂😂 please check it out if you can…really enjoyed seeing your reaction to this programme…Take Care…😁😁👍
So glad you enjoyed it. I used to love watching this as a child. It's considered 'racist' nowadays, and isn't shown.
I am so pleased you enjoyed it. It was written with the intent to show the stupidity, and comic silliness of all that was going on at that time, and most of all show the British as silly because they could not see their own stupidity. Thank you.
Loved this show growing up
It's a great show, that actually has an end. A sad end, that turns happy.
Brilliant sitcom, Ranji actor was in the first series of Last of the summer wine. Character was called College.
I used to watch it at boarding school with my Indian mates, very funny. We could all see a character we knew.
You should be flattered that Britain valued India so highly India was called the Jewell in the crown and it was the one colony Britain was sad to lose
My grandfather was Indian, he thought this show was extremely amusing and subversive, as all of croft and perry's shows were, in a very subtle way.
MICHAEL BATES was born in INDIA.
He grew up in India and spoke fluent Urdo.
I've liked and subscribed. I used to love it ain't half hot mum.
Throughout the series Michael Bates' character refers to "we British" and would be offended if treated otherwise.
Michael Bates, actually a good actor, played General Montgomery a few times.
If you want to understand the British Raj watch "on up the Khyber". It is hilarious.
A brilliant show that made fun out of the British in the last days of British India and also made fun of the double standards many Indians had at the time. 'We British' said by Ranji always makes me laugh.
I was told by a colleague from Ilford that the actor on the left was a part-time actor and he worked in a restaurant in Ilford.
A programme that took the Micky out of just about every character very very funny. Not a hint of racism, just pure fun at the way we are all that little bit just not the same. Welsh, Scots, Gays, Moslems, Hindus, Upper Classes etc you name it and there was fun to be had in all of them.
They are repeating this tv comedy on one the channels again. It’s very funny,but of it’s time.
The good old days.
I think the characters Sgt Major Williams and Rangi Ram are fantastic and funny. In my opinion it is not racist. Rangi always provides an insightful observation of the other characters and the British and he does it with great humour. Mostly we are laughing at the British and the gap between their pride and the reality. It is also a period piece and the writers came from that time. As with any satire there is some elements of truth within the writing and performances.
tis a pity the tea walla didnt set up in Piccadilly circus.... he could have made it bigger than starbucks.....
A lot of Indian people don’t realise this but of all of the nations that were once part of the British empire the British truly fell in love with everything and everyone in India to such a degree that it changed the British permanently. We found something magical and poetic with the Indian peoples in a way that changed British society forever. Indeed some say that it made Britain rethink everything about itself and others in the world.
You made that up, it never happened.
Good to see that they realise it’s a comedy and not to be taken so seriously. In the years this was done there were plenty of comedies about race religion and they weren’t taken seriously and only a very few people wouldn’t see the funny side of it.
I wondered how this would be received. It can easily be interpreted as insulting, I'm glad to see the humour works...
I've got the box set it's a very funny show...
It is so refreshing to see people understanding comedy for exactly what is was meant to be. There was a bit of fake news though, Montgomery never took Berlin, the Russians did.