There is a terrible disease sweeping the lands these days.

For some baffling reason, publishers and script writers are falling over themselves to rewrite long established works of literature in an attempt to scourge all references to anything that may terrify the new “woke” snowflakes. They are even going so far as to put warning notices on the front of books saying that the contents may cause distress or some such bollocks. Regularly I see warning notices on television before a programme [even the news] that “some scenes may cause distress”.

Herself is watching “Great Expectations” which is the latest offering from the Beeb. Two of the main characters are black which I’m sure is something Dickens never intended. Strangely though the language has been somewhat “modernised” to include language that frequently graces these pages. I’m sure Dickens never used the word “fuck” which is now scattered through the script in abundance?

Recently there was a bit of very justified angst at the news that the works of Roald Dahl were being given the Wokeification treatment. Now it appears that the works of P G Wodehouse are to be given the same appalling treatment. “Jeeves and Wooster” are to be cleansed lest a new generation of readers be offended, outraged or indeed terrified.

In the past I read quite a few of the Jeeves and Wooster books and thoroughly enjoyed them. I also watched the eponymous television series with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. I cannot for the life of me remember a single utterance that could cause any distress. The books were clever, witty and innocuous so God only knows what mangled interpretation is to appear for the new snowflakes.

Books are published as the author intended. They are works of literature and should be left stand on their merits and not hacked to pieces to “protect” the reader.

“Gender neutral” toilets are bad enough but for God’s sake leave literature alone.