Which TV comedians of yesteryear have a clean scorecard ?

[TheMonk]

I'm having trouble thinking of many tv comedians who don't have at least a sketch or joke which would be deemed unacceptable by today's standards.
Any that can stand proud, conscience clear?

[beanheadmcginty]

Trevor and Simon?

[notjosh]

Morecambe and Wise? Dave Allen? The Two...





...never mind.

[Phoenix Lazarus]

I was going to say Ken Dodd but I recall him doing blackface.

[Jake Thingray]

I'm having trouble thinking of many tv comedians who don't have at least a sketch or joke which would be deemed unacceptable by today's standards.
Any that can stand proud, conscience clear?

Fortunately, the horrible Hill never gets repeated anyway.

[Shit Good Nose]

Eric and Ernie did that IRA sketch and also the one with the very effeminate gay man that was the butt (no pun intended) of many jokes (although the final punchline was Eric going off with him for a bit of romance) and Dave Allen did several "wog" jokes.

Whilst The Two Ronnies obviously DON'T have a spotless record, from memory that minstrels sketch was openly attacking the Black & White Minstrel Show.

[non capisco]

Did Tommy Cooper ever do any racist magic? Maybe him.

I like The Two Ronnies but there's some brutal stuff going on in their back catalogue. The amount of times as a child I remember sitting through ten minutes of Ronnie Barker doing a dodgy monologue as an Indian fakir whilst waiting for The Phantom Raspberry Blower to come on.

[ajsmith2]

Neil Innes? Talk about dodging a bullet, whatever his reasons for not going along with same dress code as the rest of the Bonzos on the day this was filmed were. EDIT: ah dammit just remembered there's blackface in IBOR. Oh well.

[Tony Yeboah]

Victoria Wood perhaps.

[Shit Good Nose]

I like The Two Ronnies but there's some brutal stuff going on in their back catalogue. The amount of times as a child I remember sitting through ten minutes of Ronnie Barker doing a dodgy monologue as an Indian fakir whilst waiting for The Phantom Raspberry Blower to come on.

I think the objectification of women was probably the more frequent (i.e. in every single episode) issue with the Two Ronnies.

[Tony Tony Tony]

I think the objectification of women was probably the more frequent (i.e. in every single episode) issue with the Two Ronnies.

Surely not?

[steveh]

Recently watched a bunch of Marty Feldman shows on YouTube, which while not perfect seemed better than many of that era for avoiding racially problematic material. In It's Marty from 1969 there's one sketch that criticises The Black and White Minstrel Show, though it's not handled very well and with the joke being that they are BBC executives secretly performing. There's also a lot of Tim Brooke-Taylor playing stereotypical effeminate men.

[Ignatius_S]

Neil Innes? Talk about dodging a bullet, whatever his reasons for not going along with same dress code as the rest of the Bonzos on the day this was filmed were. EDIT: ah dammit just remembered there's blackface in IBOR. Oh well....

Was Innes a TV comedian? In any case, at an Innes event, talking about his career, that clip was discussed and he said that the intent was to send up The Black and White Minstrels Show. When asked why he was sans make-up, Innes said that that 'probably couldn't have been arsed' - however, that was said humously and it did get a big laugh. At the time, my gut feeling was there was likely a bit more to the story, but obviously that's just a feeling.

[Tony Tony Tony]

If anyone can find anything objectionable in Mike and Bernie Winters output, I will eat my hat (apart from the pair not being funny of course). 

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Surely not?

Included Mrs McCluskey in black leather and hotpants.  What would Grange Hill's pupils say!?

[Ignatius_S]

Recently watched a bunch of Marty Feldman shows on YouTube, which while not perfect seemed better than many of that era for avoiding racially problematic material. In It's Marty from 1969 there's one sketch that criticises The Black and White Minstrel Show, though it's not handled very well and with the joke being that they are BBC executives secretly performing. There's also a lot of Tim Brooke-Taylor playing stereotypical effeminate men.

Yes, with that sketch, it's a weak pay-off and particularly disappointing. In terms of the material overall, would say Feldman's stands up pretty well.

[evilcommiedictator]

Rowan Atkinson, except for that Indian Waiter sketch from Rowan Atkinson live maybe? (probably lots of other shit too)

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Rowan Atkinson, except for that Indian Waiter sketch from Rowan Atkinson live maybe? (probably lots of other shit too)

I've remembered a bit from Blackadder-I think it was from Goes Forth-where he's doing a cod-Carribean accent while saying something like 'where am dat water melon?'  Can't quite recall the context though.

[Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse]

I've remembered a bit from Blackadder-I think it was from Goes Forth-where he's doing a cod-Carribean accent while saying something like 'where am dat water melon?'  Can't quite recall the context though.

It's Blackadder II and he's mocking Ludwig the Indestructible by calling him a bad impressionist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-78Qr_HmAA

[Brundle-Fly]

One of Eric and Ernie's most famous sketches at the 1.09 mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFgdhZGLJrY

[TheMonk]

Rowan Atkinson, except for that Indian Waiter sketch from Rowan Atkinson live maybe? (probably lots of other shit too)

[Barry Admin]

The asymmetrical orange-chopping just before that really hurts my OCD.

[Chollis]

davro

[Brundle-Fly]

The asymmetrical orange-chopping just before that really hurts my OCD.

I know, it's like the candles rolling down the counter at the beginning of the Four Candles sketch.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

One of Eric and Ernie's most famous sketches at the 1.09 mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFgdhZGLJrY

I've not clicked on that, but I'm guessing brekkers routine and grapefruit ( 'Cos I don't remember Angela Rippon blacking up while getting her legs out ).

[Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse]

I'm gonna assume that you meant this in good faith and answer you with none. None of them. What matters is whether they've changed their views, whether they still do those routines, and whether they've apologised for them. Eddie Murphy's said he regrets his early homophobic routines for instance.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Did Jasper Carrott in the 70s do anything racist?

[Shit Good Nose]

Did Jasper Carrott in the 70s do anything racist?

He did a song in a cod Jamaican accent, but I can't remember the subject or context.

[Hillbert]

Did Jasper Carrott in the 70s do anything racist?

Some stuff on Chinese restaurants, which had a fair few accents in it. Plus there was his book "Sweet and Sour Labrador"

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Yeah, can't imagine any British comedian in the 70s being completely 100% squeaky- clean non- racist. That's why we got that Alternative Comedy malarkey circa 1980, innit?