Repair Shop pulls segment over his 'inappropriate' gags

A planned segment of  The Repair Shop about restoring Bob Monkhouse’s legendary joke book has been pulled because it contained sexist gags.

The comedian – who died in 2003 – meticulously catalogued thousands of jokes in 16 handwritten volumes over his 25-year career. 

His adopted daughter Abigail Williams and former comedy writing partner Colin Edmonds brought the archives to the show’s barn to be repaired.

But after seeing its contents, production company Ricochet decided it could not be aired.

Managing director Joanna Ball said: ‘We planned to fix the joke book, but when we got it to the barn and saw it in its entirety, we realised it contained many jokes that were not appropriate for a programme. We explained this to the family and returned the book to them.

‘We did not complete filming of the item, so it was never included in the programme.’

The decision made the  front page of The Sun today, with an unnamed source telling the newspaper: ‘The BBC has been mocked for its wokery, but this really is a new low. 

‘Bob’s loved ones, who had agreed to participate in the show to talk passionately about his life, were at a loss. This has to be the corporation’s most embarrassing decision yet.’

Monkhouse left his entire collection of joke books to Edmonds –who wrote the now-controversial 1970s sitcom Love Thy Neighbour –  in his will.

As well as ags dating from the 1960s until the time of his death,  the comic added cartoons and doodles that he’d drawn, including seaside  postcard-style drawings of buxom topless women.

The books were famously  stolen in 1995, prompting Monkhouse to offer a £10,000 reward before they were returned 18 months later.

In 2015, Gold – then co-owned by the BBC, and now fully owned by its Studios arm –  aired a documentary series about the books, entitled Million Joke Man and fronted by the late Paul O’Grady. 

UKTV

At that time, Mr Edmonds spoke to The Mail on Sunday about the joke books and said: ‘They are of their time. There are things that were acceptable in the Seventies which one wouldn’t dream of saying today.’

A spokesperson for Ricochet said today: ‘An item was not repaired and did not feature in the programme out of consideration for all viewers. 

‘Production evaluates each and every item and decisions on which to run are made with the viewer in mind. It was a production decision which BBC supported.’

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Published: 24 Mar 2026