Why Is This ‘Frasier’ Episode Banned in the U.K.?
Just as they have been in the United States for the past three decades, reruns of Frasier are a mainstay on U.K. television. Well, most of the episodes anyway. Fans of the show have noticed that there’s one episode in particular that never shows up on reruns on Channel 4, the broadcaster that runs the show on the regular.
That’s “High Holidays,” an installment from Frasier’s eleventh and final (ha!) season. On this episode, Niles decides he missed out on teenage rebellion. Better late than never, so he purchases a pot-laced brownie with the intention of getting zoinked out of his gourd. What better way to get baked good than with, well, baked goods?
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Frasier being Frasier, something goes wrong. The something in this case is Martin getting his hands on the contraband, unwittingly getting so stoned that he sees talking dogs on TV. Niles, who believes he’s tripping balls, is totally sober. Hilarity ensues.
A funny enough episode, but U.K. news source Metro reports that fans on Reddit noticed Channel 4 has seemingly scrubbed “High Holidays” from its Frasier rotation. “I would have never imagined that Frasier of all shows would be censored,” griped user eppinizer.
“Such a shame!” added SeraCat9. “That’s one of the Season 11 highlights.”
“Cowards,” concluded Critical-Tank.
So what’s behind the episode’s disappearance? Metro says Channel 4 isn’t talking, but Redditors in the U.K. believe they know what’s behind the omission.
“Is it seen as ‘encouraging drug use’ or some other stuff that gets U.K. censors' knickers in a twist?” wondered histprofdave.
“That’s what I’m thinking,” wrote Diligent-Baby-3805. “U.K. censors REALLY hate weed.”
But that reasoning doesn’t fly with faxekondiboi. “I don’t think its legal to steal street signs, destroy parking garage property, vandalise your neighbours clothes etc. etc. either... So the ‘not legal’ argument isn’t really valid,” they wrote. “I just think its a bunch of really old people with a stick up their arse.”
That’s one way to look at it. But Possible_Heights_5069 probably has figured out why Frasier, which runs in the morning, has been censored. “There are quite a few cuts in the Channel 4 broadcasts because of the time of day that they’re shown. The way U.K. television works is different from the U.S., and the type of content does depend on the time of day it’s shown in the U.K. You can show far more on network TV in the U.K. than would ever be allowed in the USA, in terms of swearing, nudity, sex etc, but generally only during the evening. It means that unfortunately, for Frasier, some things get cut.”
The good news for Frasier fans? “High Holidays” is available to stream on demand in the U.K. Unless, of course, you’re too high to select the right episode.
