As social awareness towards the always sensitive issue of race heightened after the protests sparked after the death of George Floyd continues to spread around the globe, the comedy show “Little Britain” was removed from all online streaming services this week.
The show was available for viewing on Netflix, BBC iPlayer and BritBox according to the Daily Mail. “Little Britain” was penned by Matt Lucas and David Williams, and is composed of little sketches that spoof people and cultures from all over.
Some of their skits included bits where the performers wore blackface, which has been identified as the main reason why the show suddenly became unavailable on the streaming platforms. “Come Fly With Me”, another show that was written by the same duo, was also taken off.
The Daily Mail reports that executives from both the BBC and BritBox explained that the times have changed since the show was first aired. Little Britain premiered in 2003 and its last episode was broadcasted in 2005.
For the same reasons, Bo’ Selecta, another spoof comedy show where caricatures depictions of African Americans such as Trisha Goddard and Michael Jackson formed the majority of the comedy, became unavailable online.
While a representative for BBC clarified that the removal of “Little Britain” for concerns over race will not spread to other shows, it still ignited rumors and speculations that other shows where ‘inappropriate’ depictions of race are prominent may be removed.
For instance, the popular satirical comedy show “League of Gentlemen” featured bits where blackface was involved. The original theatrical release of Mary Poppins in 1964 starring Julie Andrews was recently criticized in a New York Times op-ed piece which accused Andrews of ‘blacking up’.
The decision by Netflix and other streaming services have caused viewers online to debate whether the removal can be justified. Some argued that the viewers should be given the freedom to watch and reject the inaccurate depictions.
Others supported the decision, especially since Netflix publicly endorsed and supported the Black Lives Matter movement. Some even expressed shock that these ‘racist’ programs were available for viewing in the first place.
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Replaced!