Oh perleaaaaase !

Turner Broadcasting is scouring more than 1,500 classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons, including old favourites Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo, to edit out scenes that glamorise smoking.

The review has been triggered by a complaint to British media regulator Ofcom by one viewer who took offence to two episodes of Tom and Jerry shown on the Boomerang channel. The channel is part of Turner Broadcasting, which itself belongs to Time Warner.

"We are going through the entire catalogue," Yinka Akindele, a spokeswoman for Turner in Europe, said. This is a voluntary step we've taken in light of the changing times."

She says the review has been prompted by the Ofcom complaint.

The regulator's latest news bulletin states that a viewer, who is not identified, has complained about two smoking scenes on Tom and Jerry. The viewer says the scenes are "not appropriate in a cartoon aimed at children".

In the first, Texas Tom, the hapless cat Tom tries to impress a feline female by rolling a cigarette, lighting it and smoking it with one hand.

In the second, Tennis Chumps, Tom's opponent in a match smokes a large cigar.

"The licensee has ... proposed editing any scenes or references in the series where smoking appeared to be condoned, acceptable, glamorised or where it might encourage imitation," Ofcom said, adding that Texas Tom was one such example.
Changing times

Ms Akindele says cartoons will only be modified "where smoking could be deemed to be cool or glamorised", and that scenes where a villain is featured with a cigarette or cigar will not necessarily be cut.

"These are historic cartoons, they were made well over 50 years ago in a different time and different place," she added.

"Our audience is children and we don't want to be irresponsible."

Turner Broadcasting in the United States could not immediately be reached for comment.

Ofcom says it recognises smoking was more generally accepted when cartoons were produced in the 1940s, 50s and 60s.

But it argues the threshold for including such scenes when the audience is predominantly young should be high.