Two more of those "Personal Best" Monty Python specials run tonight on most PBS channels. I'm told by folks who study such things that some of the programs have some minor bleeps and the fuzzing of brief nudity, even though the exact same footage has run unexpurgated on PBS many times in the past. We have apparently reached the stage, post-Janet Jackson Super Bowl appearance, where a lot of broadcasters are terrified of fines. In the case of PBS, there are folks in the Bush administration who just plain don't like the institution and may be looking for an excuse to administer a few slaps.
The episodes featuring Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam reportedly are identical to what's on the DVD versions of the shows. The others have small changes except that there's a big alteration in the Eric Idle show where the entire musical number, "Sit On My Face," has been replaced by "The Philosopher's Song."
As mentioned earlier, PBS will soon rebroadcast all the original episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus, from which most of this material was drawn. One wonders if they will be uncut and if so, why these compilations had to be laundered.