Forced feminisation and emasculation of men featuring a stern but skimperly leather clad women including the woman from the Shake-N-Vac adverts.
It sounds like some premium top shelf adult goods but believe it or not it was a series of sketches called The Worm That Turned on a prime time BBC family show.
In the serial women rule Britain while men wear traditionally women's clothes and law and order is maintained by a secret police force led by Diana Dors. It is, simply put, one of numerous anti-feminist satires where extremist feminists take over which popped up from the mid 60's showing what a awful place it would be (for misogynists, especially television writers) if women had equal pay and opportunities. In the end the evil feminists plan is throated because deep down all they want is children, fluffy things and a penis inside them.
A lot of just makes one groan rather than feel bothered, its just dated like a time capsule into a time long gone like the Miss World. Society has moved on for instance attempts by Sky and Channel Five to broadcast Miss World Contests in the UK flopped despite the publicity.
I was reminded about The Two Ronnies for some reason on the one hand they produced some of the finest sketch comedy ever (even at the time of Not The Nine O'clock News' Two Ninies parody) produced but there was also some quite naff or hideously sexist items.
The past is a different country. They do things differently there...
ReplyDeleteI wonder how much influence this series of sketches had on my psyche. I do remember feeling quite embarrased watching with my parents, but not really knowing why.
Still, despite any misogyny (and I wonder how much was the writers own feelings, and how much was pandering to the prevailing winds), when they are being judged by the gods of comedy at the end, I'd like to submit "Fork 'Andles" in their defence
"In the end the evil feminists plan is throated because deep down all they want is children, fluffy things and a penis inside them."
ReplyDeleteIsn't that what happened in real life, too?
I remember watching said series at the time and enjoying it.... but then I guess I was a bit naive then and 'sexism' wasn't a word I knew of. Well, I say that, I do remember thinking some of the stuff on Benny Hill and the Miss World events a bit off.
ReplyDeleteBut as Pandora has said, the Two Ronnies were a product of their time. Will The Young Ones, 80s Ben Elton or Frankie Boyle age as well?
Yes, I enjoyed them when I first saw them, how time changes the perception.
ReplyDeleteThough I agree their best output outweighs this.