[Susan Foreman]

Now even The Muppets are branded racist: Disney slaps popular show with an alert about 'offensive content' and it can only be seen on an adult account / Daily Mail

"The Muppet Show appears to be the latest victim of political correctness with new warnings over its historic content.

The adventures of Kermit the Frog, Animal, Miss Piggy and friends now come with an alert about 'offensive content' and can only be seen on an adult account.

The move came to light when Disney made five series available last Friday on its streaming service, which costs £5.99 a month.

Viewers are greeted with the disclaimer: 'This programme includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now.

'Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.'

The warning is believed to refer to Muppet characters designed as stereotypes of Native Americans, Arabs and East Asians.

In another episode, the singer Johnny Cash plays on a stage adorned with the Confederate flag.

Some episodes of the show, which was first broadcast 45 years ago, have disappeared entirely from British screens.

They include a 1979 one starring comedian Spike Milligan in which he and the puppets pay tribute to the 108 nations where the show was broadcast.

It depicted national stereotypes and polarised viewers for its fleeting use of a Nazi-style gesture. It is still available to American users of Disney Plus.

Some fans of the series created by puppeteer Jim Henson are not happy with the censorship, with one tweeting: 'It's so frustrating to live in a 'free' country where corporations can decide what you can and can't watch.'

Disney says on its website it is 'committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the diversity of the human experience around the globe'. It declined to comment to The Mail on Sunday.

Other family films to carry the warning include The Aristocats, Dumbo, Peter Pan and Swiss Family Robinson.

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: 'I would like to know which bunch of muppets thought this one up. It would appear if this continues kids won't be able to watch any TV programmes which are not newly made. Is nothing safe?'

Sarah Cronin-Stanley, of Talking Pictures TV, added: 'Context is key. We should not eradicate history as we have so much to learn from it.''"