Teletubbies scene so horrifying it’s been banned worldwide

A Teletubbies scene from over 25 years ago was so horrifying it was eventually banned.

For children in Merseyside and beyond, the BBC’s Teletubbies was a much-loved TV show and is still enjoyed by many youngsters today. With television screens on their bellies and a uniquely shaped antenna sticking out of their heads, the main four colorful characters Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po fly around the Tubbyland grass in every episode.

But one scene was so scary that it was banned worldwide. In the 90s, children were featured in The Lion and the Bear before the BBC eventually censored the scene, the Mirror reports.

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Today, clips from the show often resurface on platforms like TikTok, including this one. Last month, the official Teletubbies Instagram account, @TeletubbiesHQ, retweeted one of the scenes with the caption “Who’s Afraid of the Lion and the Bear?” that sparked memories and inspired us to take a look back at the famously creepy episode.

On Instagram, one person said: “I’m 28, I’m still bullied by my family because I was scared of this when I was a little kid.” Another account commented: “My childhood fear – used to dive behind the couch when they came on.”

The terrifying episode, which first aired in 1997, was banned in various countries and had to be censored by BBC bosses because children were too scared. It was banned in the US by the broadcaster PBS after the backlash it received from viewers, and in 1999 it was removed from even more countries.

One person billed it as “the greatest horror show of all time”, while others couldn’t deal with the menacing music playing in the background and insisted it was “not age appropriate”. It wasn’t the Teletubbies that sparked the outrage, but two new cardboard cut-out characters who had children and a few adults hiding behind the sofa.

Do you remember this episode? Let us know in the comments section below.

Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po can be seen looking concerned when a large bear creeps into their garden. The mere presence of the Bear was bad enough, but it gets worse as the unpopular character repeatedly says, “I am the Bear, I am the Bear, and I am coming.”

With its terrifying eyes spinning around its head and huge claws outstretched – many viewers feared it would kill the Tubbies. The animal adds: “I am the Bear, I am the Bear, with fuzzy brown hair. I am hiding from the Lion, but he does not know where.”

If that wasn’t bad enough, then a Leo appears on screen and starts adding to the dark vibe. He growls, “I am the fearsome Lion with big fearsome teeth. I am scary above and I am below”.

The Teletubbies then run away from the predators, with Laa-Laa warning the others to “hide”. BBC bosses decided they had to act in 2001 and censored the scene for UK viewers to make it more child-friendly.

In the new version, the Bear’s voice has been edited to make it sound less scary, and the spooky music has been changed to something lighter. The reaction of the Teletubbies was also changed – making them giggle instead of being scared by the menacing Bear.

The ending was also changed, as the Tubbies began to celebrate when the Lion chased the Bear away instead of running away themselves. Some of the original DVDs still contain the terrifying original sketch, which can be viewed on YouTube if you’re brave enough.

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