Are trigger warnings turning a harmless old sitcom into the perfect Gen Z hate-watch?

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. It seems even the most milquetoast of series aren’t safe from scrutiny, though, as streaming service BritBox has slapped a trigger warning on the classic BBC show, Terry and June. But, unless I’ve missed something, things rarely get any worse than that, which makes BritBox’s warning that the show “contains discriminatory language of the period” overcautious and a little baffling. I’d much sooner slap one on any of those other examples before I would Terry and June – I don’t think anybody who expects to sit down for a nostalgic foray into light entertainment expects to hear a sermon on why Enoch Powell might have been on to something. When I watch a show that “contains discriminatory language of the period”, does that mean I’m going to hear somebody make a dated attempt at inclusiveness by calling somebody “coloured”, or will it be a three-minute rant containing words and phrases I’m not even allowed to write in this article because they’re so offensive?