Austin Powers Wins The Day

Singapore authorities have changed their minds about banning the original title of the film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.

Just a week ago the Board of Film Censors ruled that the term shag - a British euphemism for sexual intercourse - was "crude and offensive".

They decided it should be replaced by shioked, a word meaning good or nice in Singapore's mix of English, Malay and Chinese dialects known as Singlish.

But according to the newspaper The Straits Times the board has now reversed its decision after seeing a trailer for the film.

The paper printed a letter from the censors which said: "Today's educated Singaporeans are more mature and discerning enough to see the humour in it."

Warner Brothers, the distributors, said it was pleased that the original title could now be kept.

The sequel to the comedy Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is to be released in Singapore on 24 June and it will reach UK screens on 30 July.

In the film Powers, played by comedian Mike Myers, is forced to travel back in time to the 1960s to help defeat his arch-nemesis Dr Evil with the help of his CIA colleague, Felicity Shagwell, played by Heather Graham.

Elizabeth Hurley, who co-starred in the first movie, returns for a cameo role, along with Burt Bacharach, Willie Nelson, Tim Robbins and Elvis Costello.

May 19, 1999

Copyright © 2002, British Broadcasting Corporation