Corrected entry: A well-documented bit of censorship involves Series 2, Show 6 (first broadcast 20/10/70). This show featured an animated fairy story where a prince finds a spot on his face. "Foolishly, he ignored it," informed Carol Cleveland as the narrator. "And six months later he died of cancer." Although this was originally transmitted intact, the BBC were worried, and insisted that the word "cancer" be replaced for a repeat showing in August 1971. The word "cancer" was thus replaced by the word "gangrene". Unusually for the series, the word 'gangrene' does not appear to be voiced by any of the Python team themselves. To underline the fact that the word "cancer" had been replaced (and as a protest against the censorship?), a male voice replaces Carol Cleveland's narration for this one word only.
Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969)
1 corrected entry in School Prizes
Starring: John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman
Plot hole: In the Upper Class Twit of the Year Show, there are five contestants. However, after Oliver runs himself over, in the events that follow there are only four props for the remaining twits (four mannequins, rabbits, and guns); since Oliver's death was unforeseen, shouldn't there be five of each? (This mistake, by the way, is rectified in the film version of this sketch).
The Ant, an Introduction - S1-E6
Kenny Lust: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the refreshment room here at Bletchley. My name is Kenny Lust and I'm your compère for tonight. You know, once in a while it is my pleasure, and my privilege, to welcome here at the refreshment room, some of the truly great international artists of our time. And tonight we have one such artist. Ladies and gentlemen, someone whom I've always personally admired, perhaps more deeply, more strongly, more abjectly than ever before. A man... Well, more than a man, a god, a great god, whose personality is so totally and utterly wonderful my feeble words of welcome sound wretchedly and pathetically inadequate. Someone whose boots I would gladly lick clean until holes wore through my tongue, a man who is so totally and utterly wonderful, that I would rather be sealed in a pit of my own filth than dare tread on the same stage with him! Ladies and gentlemen... The incomparably superior human being, Harry Fink!
Man: [from offstage.] He can't come!
Kenny Lust: Never mind, he's not all he's cracked up to be.
Trivia: The German joke versions are spoken in an intelligible, pseudo-German gibberish (perhaps fortunate, if the joke would really work). I happen to live in Germany, and even with close scrutinizing I haven't been able to filter a meaning out of this.
Question: Does anyone know what the killer joke (German version anyway) translates to in English? I tried running it through BabelFish, but it still made no sense.
Chosen answer: Fortunately for the entire English speaking world, there is no translation. It is not real German.
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Correction: This does not count as a goof, especially given the nature of Pythonesque comedy. The canned laughter that follows the blatantly obvious redubbing should be a giveaway.