Master Bates in children's television series 

The 1960s television Captain Pugwash included a character called [Bates].  Originally conceived as a joke and challenge to "blind-side" the censors, the originatr was later embarrassed by the attention caused Nd fought a campaign to deny the name was ever used, claiming instead that it was Master Mate, an implausible variant which never existed as a nautical term, which the author tried to suggest.