BBC sparks backlash with trigger warning over iconic Michael Palin travel show

The BBC has come under fire from TV fans after slapping a classic Sir Michael Palin travel show with a trigger warning.

Iconic factual entertainment series Around the World in 80 Days with aired in 1989 and followed the 81-year-old legend as he circumnavigated the globe. Episodes saw Michael stop off in China, India, North America, parts of Africa, and countries in Europe as he followed in the footsteps of Jules Verne's fictional explorer, Phileas Fogg.

Seven episodes were recorded for the show which aired from mid-October to late November the year it was released - with episode titles including The Challenge, Arabian Frights and Far East and Farther East. But there are concerns that episode five of the show, titled Oriental Express, could upset modern audiences.

With the series available to watch , fans of the show have noticed that a warning has been added to the beginning of the episode. While in Guangzhou, southern China, Michael is fed a cooked snake - which is shown being beheaded and skinned before it is served in a dish.

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After munching on the meal, Michael says on camera: “That’s great. It’s lovely.” However, the scene itself is feared to be far from lovely and a trigger warning has been added to advise viewers that they could find the moment unsettling.

But the move by the BBC has been slammed by critics, with Toby Young, head of the Free Speech Union, lashing out via to say: “Surely viewers of Around the World in 80 Days tune in precisely so they can see and wonderful things from the other side of the . What’s next? Will I’m A Celebrity be given a trigger warning? ‘Contains scenes of D-list glamour models eating kangaroo testicles that some viewers may find upsetting’.”

While a BBC spokesperson told the publication: “Like other broadcasters and streaming services, we add guidance labels to some programmes on BBC iPlayer depending on the content.” The has contacted the BBC for further comment.

It has been 35 years since the show originally aired on the BBC. A 20 year anniversary special about the series aired via the BBC in 2008 - titled Around the World in 20 Years. In the one off episode Sir Michael retraced the Dubai to Mumbai leg of his journey and was reunited with the captain and crew of the al-Shama dhow, in which he had undertaken the journey back in 1989.

A commemorative book called Around the World in 80 days – Revisited was also published that year which incorporated then previously unseen pictures from the epic journey. Sir Michael has made a number of other travel documentaries over the years including filmed trips to the Sahara, Himalayas, Brazil, and the north and south poles.

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