REGIONAL Australia won't be able to see the new comedy from the stars of Little Britain tonight - because TV executives believe it's too sophisticated for them.

Channel Nine's regional affiliates, WIN and NBN Television, have decided that David Walliams and Matt Lucas's airport-based satire Come Fly With Me is is inappropriate for their regional audience in NSW.

Viewers in Newcastle, Wollongong and an area which extends to Tamworth, Coffs Harbour and the Hunter Valley areas will instead by shown a repeat of US sitcom Big Bang Theory.

The decision to filter the programming has upset some country viewers.

Jess Corbett writes: "i think its very unfair to assume that people in regional Australia wont understand the show as we are not sophisticated enough! We go to school and get taught the same things that places like sydney and melbourne do. Just cause we live in the "country" doesnt mean that be are all stupid bogans. And im sure that some if not most have seen little Britain so im sure that we can understand the show."

But Nathan D. Earles trolls: "Offensive? Grow up, regional Australia; you're just a bunch of massive, bogan, country towns who have no sense of civilisation."

Join the fired-up discussion at news.com.au's Facebook page here.



Despite weeks of teaser trailers hyping the PG-rated show, NBN head of programming and publicity Kellie Hampton said the network planned to first gauge the reaction in metropolitan markets to see if it was suitable to air.

"The regional TV audience is different and although the show has been classified "PG" we want to see the feedback and ratings first," Ms Hampton said.

Fans took to a variety of media to condemn the move, labelling it as "antiquated" and "ridiculous censorship". "How dare (NBN) treat us differently because we don't live in a capital city," said one resident.

Set in a fictional British airport and modelled on documentary series Airline, Come Fly With Me has caused controversy in the UK.

Walliams and Lucas have been accused of causing racial offence with their portrayals of black, Asian and Middle Eastern characters.

Between them, the pair play 50 characters in the spoof documentary, including Omar Baba, owner of Britain's eighth favourite cheapo airline "FlyLo", and busty West Indian coffee-kiosk worker Precious Little.

The series, which ran on the BBC last year, has been described as not quite as grotesque as the MA-rated Little Britain, which was a ratings hit for the ABC. Nine pounced on the rights to Come Fly With Me.

Come Fly with Me clip (may cause distress to viewers in regional Australia)