BBC sells 'Allo 'Allo! to German TV channel

The BBC has sold a hit British television comedy series which makes fun of the Gestapo in Nazi-occupied France to a German broadcaster.

German audiences will be able to watch 'Allo 'Allo! - which ran in Britain from 1982-1991 - for the first time after ProSiebenSat1 bought all 83 episodes from BBC Worldwide, the British public broadcaster’s commercial arm.

" 'Allo 'Allo! is a high-quality programme which had not been picked up in Germany until now due to the subject matter,” said a BBC spokeswoman, adding: “Both BBC Worldwide and ProSiebenSat1 are very happy about the deal.”

The sitcom, which relies heavily on double entendres and comic accents, is set in a French cafe whose owner Renee Artois and his wife Edith try to help the local resistance while keeping out of trouble with the Nazi occupiers.

It is unclear how the accents will be rendered in German to avoid losing the jokes in translation; one character routinely gets a laugh with British audiences by saying “Good moaning,” in mangled English.

Another long-running joke which titillates British viewers involves the cafe owner hiding a painting, The Fallen Madonna With The Big Boobies, inside a garlic sausage to prevent it falling into Nazi hands.

The BBC is confident Germans will understand the humour.

Source: Media Network, AFP