The BBC knows racism is no laughing matter, which is why the network removed multiple sketch comedy shows that featured white performers in blackface from streaming platforms.
In response to the Black Lives Matter protests and ongoing conversations about systemic racism, the beloved British comedy shows Little Britain and Come Fly With Me have been removed from Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Britbox due to their racist humor.
Related: Jimmy Fallon Delivers An Emotional Plea Regarding SNL Blackface Controversy
The removal of the two shows, both starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams, followed the removal of Little Britain from Netflix UK on June 5. A rep for The BBC explained:
“There’s a lot of historical programming available on BBC iPlayer, which we regularly review. Times have changed since Little Britain first aired so it is not currently available on BBC iPlayer.”
Probably a good call, seeing as Little Britain has been criticized over the past few years for its scenes featuring stars in blackface and yellowface.
Both Walliams and Lucas used makeup to change their skin tone while dressing up as Black and Asian women for the series, playing characters like a Caribbean woman and a mail order bride named Ting Tong. Other recurring characters have been accused of being ableist and transphobic.
Related: Gabrielle Union Calls Out Julianne Hough’s Blackface Scandal
While such humor may have been tolerated during Little Britain’s original run from 2003 to 2007, today’s audiences aren’t as forgiving. Last month, a Little Britain sketch for the network’s Big Night In drew 180 complaints, mostly over a joke where a character said it wanted to eat a bat — a reference to the conspiracy theories about where the coronavirus came from.
Lucas, for his part, acknowledged the show didn’t age well after being called out for it on Twitter. He told Big Issue in 2017:
“If I could go back and do Little Britain again, I wouldn’t make those jokes about transvestites. I wouldn’t play black characters… Basically, I wouldn’t make that show now. It would upset people. We made a more cruel kind of comedy than I’d do now… Society has moved on a lot since then and my own views have evolved. There was no bad intent there – the only thing you could accuse us of was greed. We just wanted to show off about what a diverse bunch of people we could play. Now I think it’s lazy for white people to get a laugh just by playing black characters. My aim is to entertain, I don’t have any other agenda. And as I’ve got older, I’ve become more empathetic, I care more about hurting people.”
What do U think about the removal of these shows, Perezcious readers? About time?
[Image via BBC]