It Ain’t Half Hot Mum cast feud as star ‘furious’ over bosses’ controversial decision

British sitcom, It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, originally aired on the BBC from 1974 to 1981. Created by the same team behind Dad’s Army, Jimmy Perry and David Croft, there was reportedly some tension with one of its lead actors due to a decision made by one of the bosses.

Set in British India and Burma during the final months of World War II, the show followed a fictional group of soldiers whose role was to entertain the troops rather than fight on the front line.

Battery Sergeant Major Williams (played by Windsor Davies), who constantly berated the soldiers for being "effeminate" and "soft", especially the flamboyant Bombardier "Gloria" Beaumont (Melvyn Hayes).

The show was hugely popular during its run, attracting around 17 million viewers a week. However, in the following years It Ain’t Half Hot Mum has become increasingly controversial. Michael Bates, who was a white actor, played the Indian character Rangi Ram using brownface.

It also included a number of cultural stereotypes, including exaggerated depictions of South Asian and colonial figures. Much of the humour also revolved around mocking perceived effeminacy, especially in Gloria’s character.

According to sources, there was also tension during filming when a feud unfolded behind the scenes. It began when cast member Michael Bates was omitted from a major promotional feature, despite returning to work during a battle with cancer.

The actor, best known for his role as Rangi Ram, was said to be “understandably furious” after being left off the front cover of the Radio Times for the launch of series five, alongside co-stars Windsor Davies, Melvyn Hayes, and Don Estelle.

Producers reportedly believed Bates would not be returning due to ill health, and so writer-producer David Croft did not include him in the cover image. However, Bates did return for the new series – and though he never publicly voiced his anger, insiders have claimed he was deeply upset by the oversight.

The incident has remained largely undocumented, but fans and TV historians point to it as a rare moment of tension within an otherwise tight-knit cast.

Bates passed away in 1978 at the age of 57, just a few years after the event. His portrayal of Rangi Ram – though controversial by modern standards – remains one of the most recognised roles in 1970s British comedy.

Melvyn Hayes, one of the few surviving cast members of the show, has previously voiced his anger at how the BBC has treated the It Ain't Half Hot Mum in recent years.

He told the Guardian: “They could have bleeped things out, or put up some disclaimer. But to take it off air and treat it as an object of shame was just wrong.”

Hayes also disagrees that the series is racist. Hayes continued: "Asian people would describe it to me as ‘our show’, partly because it was the only one where you’d hear any Urdu.” He noted that Bates could speak fluent Urdu.