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Little Britain removed from streaming services

Started by Fambo Number Mive, June 09, 2020, 05:31:38 PM

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Fambo Number Mive

QuoteLittle Britain has been removed from BBC iPlayer, Netflix and BritBox as objections resurfaced to some of the sketch show's characters.

Netflix pulled the Matt Lucas and David Walliams series on Friday, along with their other comedy Come Fly With Me.

The BBC and Britbox took Little Britain off on Monday. Both outlets said "times have changed" since it first aired.

Both shows include scenes where the comedians portray characters from different ethnic backgrounds...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-52983319

A lot of Little Britain is pretty dodgy isn't it?


Shit Good Nose

I think in the case of Netflix it was more that it was about to be removed by default anyway as it was reaching the end of its time on there - it was on "Being Removed Soon" lists for a few weeks prior.  I didn't even realise Come Fly With Me (which I never saw) was on there.

But yeah, definitely the right move.  Some of the sketches and characters (mainly in the earlier series) were and still are genuinely good I think, but so much of it seemed like a relic even back then.

Jake Thingray


M-CORP

I never really gave a shit about Little Britain. From what little I've seen, yes it looks pretty dodgy by today's standards, but then I'm not an expert because I never watched it. Not quite sure about the principal of deleting shows because they're no longer in keeping with modern attitudes. On this occasion, I could concede that the show is still available on DVD for those that really want to see it, but like the statues of slave traders, once you've torn down one, it opens the floodgates, doesn't it? I mean, where exactly is this process of erasing the awkward bits of the past going to stop?

Spiteface

Rock Profile was infinitely superior anyway.

Shit Good Nose

As was Mash and Peas.

This is still the best thing Walliams has ever done - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0Ffca4xU7E  Just look at him when he makes his entrance.

DrGreggles

I saw a Matt Lucas interview quite recently where he addressed it by saying something along the lines of some of it deliberately having 'shock value' in 2005 isn't an excuse for it being actually offensive in 2005 or 2020.


chveik

'times have changed' is a nice way of escaping responsability. the BBC could have at least apologized

Endicott

It was dodgy by 2003 standards (maybe not the first series). It's been mentioned recently in various threads, that some people thought all the battles were won (racism, sexism, etc), and so therefore a bit of ironic racism was absolutely fine, and LB was the backlash against the 'straight jacket' of Political Correctness. I think hindsight has brought people to their senses.

Spiteface


dissolute ocelot

I'm curious as to where this came from, whether Matt Lucas had requested it, as he's been critical of his earlier work for a few years. If he and/or Walliams have said something, it's hard to argue against it (ok, I'll try: It's my licence fee, and if it was spent on racism then it's my racism and I should get to watch it!).

On the other hand, I'm sure you can find a lot of racist/sexist/transphobic/homophobic/anti-semitic/anti-irish/fattist/disablist/rapey content on BritBox, including in much-loved shows (everything from Peter Pan to Oliver Twist to The Young Ones to Ab Fab to Reeves and Mortimer), and entirely removing shows is a bit extreme when there are a lot of other solutions: from age ratings, warnings, and contextualisation, to editing, muting audio, or blurring/pixelation. Hopefully this is only a temporary measure while they sort out what to do or what to cut.

Cloud

Yeah it was questionable enough at the time. By "times have changed" they mean people can now call them out on Twitter.

rue the polywhirl

Always Sunny has got quite a few instances of blackface as well as reams of un-PC attitudes and disablist content. I wonder if that will be removed from all streaming services.

phantom_power

The black face stuff on IASIP is usually about the black face and the attitudes of the people doing it. It isn't just for larks or to play a black character


JamesTC

Quote from: rue the polywhirl on June 09, 2020, 06:11:33 PM
Always Sunny has got quite a few instances of blackface as well as reams of un-PC attitudes and disablist content. I wonder if that will be removed from all streaming services.

I guess the thing about Always Sunny is that it is clearer that the act of blackface is wrong when the character is doing it and they are called out on it. We are laughing at the character rather than with them. Maybe you could accuse them of having their cake and eating it.

When they do blackface in Come Fly With Me it is played straight. It only feels that it is the Asian characters that are played for shock value from what little I remember.

rue the polywhirl

Quote from: phantom_power on June 09, 2020, 06:13:47 PM
The black face stuff on IASIP is usually about the black face and the attitudes of the people doing it. It isn't just for larks or to play a black character

The gist of Lethal Weapon 5 is pretty much Mac playing the black character and Dennis and Mac making the movie as a lark?

SavageHedgehog

Will Cex do anything about the average of one shelf of Little Britain DVDs you'll find in each store?

phantom_power

Quote from: rue the polywhirl on June 09, 2020, 06:20:35 PM
The gist of Lethal Weapon 5 is pretty much Mac playing the black character and Dennis and Mac making the movie as a lark?

Yes but it is problematic within the show that Mac wants to black up. The other characters comment on it. Mac is a racist. It isn't like it is just not being commented on or being done by a nice character

rue the polywhirl

Quote from: SavageHedgehog on June 09, 2020, 06:21:57 PM
Will Cex do anything about the average of one shelf of Little Britain DVDs you'll find in each store?

Symbolically throw them in the nearest canal, tied down with a specially made statue of Lou and Andy?

BlodwynPig

They were forced to do black face as the only funny black comedian at that time, Lenny Henry, was acting in Shakespeare at the time and was unavailable.

Autopsy Turvey

Quote from: jobotic on June 09, 2020, 05:34:22 PM
Autopsy? Are you there?

Ta-da!

Quite right too, the 'ironic' racism in Little Britain was literally disgusting, at the time I was staggered that this was what BBC sketch comedy was reduced to, and that nobody seemed to care. Although I suspect if it had been funny, I wouldn't have given a shit.

lipsink

Remember all the Little Britain merchandise? I remember it being everywhere. Or am I just imagining it? It was stuff like Vicky Pollard dolls, Lou and Andy toys in Woolworths.

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: Cloud on June 09, 2020, 05:55:38 PM
Yeah it was questionable enough at the time. By "times have changed" they mean people can now call them out on Twitter.

Not really, there was no Twitter during the 1980s alternative comedy boom and people became critical of the old school club comedy and iffy TV shows because "times have changed."

ajsmith2

Crazy to reflect that Come Fly With Me is still less that 10 years old. What a decade it's been.

Bizarro Mark Bosnich

Bane of my existence growing up, so absolutely chuffed to bits they're getting some kind of comeuppance.


Tony Tony Tony