Name of Guy Gibson's dog dropped from The Dam Busters remake
AN ICONIC, yet controversial, part of Lincolnshire's aviation heritage will be changed in the re-telling of the Dambusters.
Broadcaster and comedian Stephen Fry has confirmed he has ditched the name of Dambuster Guy Gibson's black Labrador in the new version of the 1955 classic.
Historically, Gibson's dog was called Nigger and his name was used as a code word whenever one of Germany's Ruhr dams was breached during the raid.
But Fry, who is writing the script for the long-awaited film, has now revealed that the dog will be renamed Digger.
In an interview, he said: "There is no question in America that you could ever have a dog called the N-word.
"It's no good saying that it is the Latin word for black or that it didn't have the meaning that it does now – you just can't go back, which is unfortunate.
"You can go to RAF Scampton and see the dog's grave and there he is with his name, and it's an important part of the film.
"The name of the dog was a code word to show that the dam had been successfully breached.
(continued, as Digger)
