The scene is the Lion and the Bear segment from the preschool series Teletubbies. Its cardboard animal characters, ominous music and threatening dialogue set against a gentle children’s programme made it one of the most talked-about moments in the show’s history. The phrase “the greatest horror show of all time” comes from an unnamed viewer, not a critic or broadcaster. The reported 1997 broadcast and 2001 UK edit are described in press and entertainment coverage. The claim that the segment was banned around the world is not backed by any primary record in that coverage.
Which scene is it?
The segment is usually identified as “The Lion and The Bear.” An entertainment site, IGV Official, describes it as an episode with that title and says the characters were cardboard cut-outs rather than the show’s usual puppet-style figures. The article was first published on 7 August 2023 and updated on 23 November 2024.
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A Liverpool Echo report, republished by Head Topics on 15 May 2024, gives the most detailed account of the plot. A bear enters the Teletubbies’ garden. A lion then appears, and Laa-Laa tells the others to hide. The reporting places the first broadcast in 1997. The regular cast of Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po appears in the segment, which is what makes its tone so jarring for viewers who knew the show as soft, slow-paced children’s television.
Why it unsettled viewers
Coverage of the segment consistently points to the same contrast. The show’s setting is bright and deliberately simple. The segment, by comparison, uses ominous music, animal dialogue that sounds threatening, and a fearful reaction from the Teletubbies. Those elements together are what led viewers to describe it in extreme terms.
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The phrases that circulate about it, including “not age appropriate,” are informal viewer reactions rather than formal ratings or assessments. The dialogue quoted in the coverage is scripted character speech within a fictional story. It is not a statement from a real person and should not be read as one.
Who called it “the greatest horror show of all time”?
The phrase comes from one unnamed person reacting to the segment, as reported by the Liverpool Echo. The name, role and context of that viewer are not given. It is best understood as a colourful reaction that spread through headlines, not as a designation from a critic, regulator or the broadcaster.
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What changed in the UK version?
Both the Liverpool Echo report and a Daily Mirror article, accessed through inkl, say the BBC edited the segment for UK viewers in 2001. The Daily Mirror article does not give a publication date in the version consulted. The reports describe the changes below. Where the sources do not describe the original version of an element, the cell says so.
| Element | Original 1997 broadcast (as reported) | 2001 UK edit (as reported) |
|---|---|---|
| Bear’s voice | Not described in the sources | Changed |
| Music | Ominous | Changed; the replacement is not described in the sources |
| Teletubbies’ reaction | Fearful | Revised so the Teletubbies giggle |
| Ending | Not described in the sources | The Teletubbies celebrate after the lion chases the bear away |
The reporting presents these as the only described differences. It does not include the broadcaster’s own description of why the changes were made.
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Was it banned?
Several headlines use the words “banned,” “outlawed” and “banned around the world.” Those claims come from secondary reporting. The coverage does not cite a BBC or PBS record, a regulator’s decision, or a list of countries where the segment was withheld. The same is true of the wider claim that the segment was pulled from broadcast everywhere.
The documented part is narrower. The segment was reportedly edited for UK viewers in 2001. Whether it was withdrawn in other markets, and for how long, is not established by the sources. A reader can accurately say the BBC changed the scene for UK audiences. A reader should not say it was banned worldwide.
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Can you still see the original?
The Daily Mirror report says some original DVDs retain the original sketch. It does not name the releases or editions involved, and it does not confirm that any of them remain on sale. Anyone looking for the 1997 cut should work from the disc itself rather than from the title alone.
- Check the episode listing on the disc or the packaging for “The Lion and The Bear.”
- Look for a note on the packaging or in the listing stating that the release includes the original broadcast version.
- Be cautious with listings that do not specify the edition, since the sources do not establish which releases carry the original cut.
How much weight to give this account
Most of the detail about the segment comes from three secondary sources: the Liverpool Echo report republished by Head Topics (15 May 2024), a Daily Mirror article accessed through inkl, and IGV Official (first published 7 August 2023, updated 23 November 2024). They agree on the plot, the 1997 broadcast, the 2001 UK edit and the unnamed viewer’s phrase. None of them quotes a broadcaster, a production company or a home-video release. The segment’s reputation rests mostly on that agreement and on the lasting memory of viewers who saw it when it aired.
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