To be shocked that this was ever ok?! Blackface on Little Britain...

[BrexitBingoGenerator]

Hello. I've just been looking at the Daily Mail (sorry) and there is a thing about this. I was genuinely gobsmacked seeing the photo and it's completely offensive. However, at some time in the not-so-distant past, this was seen as mainstream comedy and I remember it being on primetime telly. So a critical mass of people must have thought this was ok? I never really watched little Britain and this sketch in particular made me want to heave, but I think at the time it was rather for its horrible portrayal of women generally. I don't remember outrage over it at the time. But maybe there was? I guess I'm just ashamed that comedy like this could have been screened in my adult lifetime.

@pumper calm down. We are agreeing, mostly.

You are just not allowing that not everyone thought as you did back then, or now!

Yes, the modern face of the 00s was more liberal, accepting etc. But there was, as there still is, a sizeable % of society that was not.

LB poked at that.

And I haven't shied away from saying any part of LB was any 'ist' I'm just pointing out it was intended to be. That was the mirror it was holding up to society at the time.

Is it racist or not?

Anyone remember little britain's white Womens Institute racist woman?

You have to remember that it was OK at the time @BrexitBingoGenerator Things have moved on now but humour was different 20ish years ago. I don’t appreciate things being censored and this is exactly what this is. You only have to look at other shows like Dads Army and the Black and White Minstrel Show (which ran for 20 years). They took the piss royally and would never be commissioned now but that’s just how it was then. If people want to watch it then they should be allowed to crack on but also be made aware that times HAVE changed.

I disliked the programme, it made me feel very uncomfortable, and after just 10mins we turned over. Actually, I'm a bit surprised at the number on here who seem to remember every character on it despite saying they hated the show - so why did you watch it? David Walliams makes me cringe and his books are awful and I think Matt Lucas for bake off is a huge mistake.

What? Have you not understood a bloody word? The answer to that is multi layered, whether you like it or not. Few things in life, or British comedy, are that simple.

Yes! That is what it was portraying.

No! The intention behind it was lampoon racists

Yes! Seen now, out of its immediate context, it's racist and misogynist. A white man putting on both black and woman face.

I thought that was obvious. Maybe that's why I didn't like it at the time!

Back up... Matt Lucas and Bake Off??

Please tell you mean as a contestant not as host!!!!!

@CuriousaboutSamphire

What? Have you not understood a bloody word? The answer to that is multi layered, whether you like it or not. Few things in life, or British comedy, are that simple.

Yes! That is what it was portraying.

No! The intention behind it was lampoon racists

Yes! Seen now, out of its immediate context, it's racist and misogynist. A white man putting on both black and woman face.

I thought that was obvious. Maybe that's why I didn't like it at the time!

Calm down! Have you understood a word? Regardless of how layered the comedy is (arguable) it’s still a white man in blackface. The very nature of the premise is racist. It’s racist. Regardless of context - blackface is racist. Regardless of intent - blackface is racist.

Bugger! That's off the viewing list then.

How did I miss that announcement?

Wait, you didn’t know blackface was racist? Are you serious?

Yes pumper I believe I typed those very words!

Havent seen little Britain in ages and not massive fan but I found some of the caricatures funny, I'm a working class white woman and vicky?- Yeah but no but- make me laugh, the thing is they were even handed in their mickey take of all members of british society and there is a history in the uk of taking the mickey out of ourselves. I think the bbc are playing it safe and protecting itself from any possible critism in the current climate.

I never found them particularly funny, although some odd buts were. ALL their characters are offensive to some parts of the community.

Right or wrong? I don't know

@CuriousaboutSamphire

Yes pumper I believe I typed those very words!

Ok. Well in that case, you should definitely read up on it. It’s racist.

I do find it funny. They are playing silly characters. Things like “the only gay in the village” is about one individual and his teenage self importance (and I understand is based on some of Matt Lucas experiences growing up). He isn’t the only gay in the village - that’s part of the joke.

I hated it when it was on. I was in my first couple of years teaching (so only about 15 years ago) and all the teen-agers I worked with raved about it. I think I watched a couple of episodes to see what all the fuss was about and found every single character offensive. I thought back then that it wasn't on to have them dressing up as black people, or women, or disabled people, etc. It was using massive stereotypes in every character. But most of the people I mentioned this to thought I was oversensitive, so there it was.

Who me? Are you seriously asking if I didn't know blackface was offensive? After what I wrote?

Then again you so seem to be ignoring the misogyny.

I can't explain but any more than I, and others, have. If you don't get satire, or the fact that it, like almost all comedy, ages very badly, then we will continue to post at cross purposes.

Put as simply as I can:

It is racist (and misogynist).
It was intended to be.

It reflected unpleasant but somehow accepted opinions of a proportion of society of the time. Not the same people all the time, obviously!

It was intended to be uncomfortable. And all the 'ists' you want to throw at it.

Now, with changing social mores, looking back even that deliberate act is itself all the 'ists' you want to throw at it.

But still some people will like it. Either for it's surface humour or for it's more layered social commentary.

I get that you don't like/see those multiple facets of it. But, whilst I don't like it now, any more than I did then, I do see that it had its own internal logic and was lampooning society, and that doesn't make me stupid or racist.

What it does show is that most topical humour doesn't survive it's immediate environs.

The show won multiple awards and was watched by people of all races and sexualities. Indeed most of my friends that found it funny at the time were Asian. I don't think you can write off half of the country as little Englanders because you personally find a show offensive. You finding it offensive doesn't really mean anything in real terms. I'm also quite uncomfortable with a white person dictating to POC what TV shows they should/shouldn't enjoy and what they should/shouldn't find offensive, and being offended on their behalf. People can form their own opinion and decide these things for themselves.

I bloody double spaced that!!!

Pumper you've lost me.

I say it is racist but that I think it is also more complex than that and you tell me I need to read up on something because, hold the train, it's racist!

Never mind!

I thought it was very funny - though probably not really acceptable now but what i didn't see as funny was the old woman peeing herself. I've since seen that in another comedy. In my albeit limited experience it's old men that have bladder and weeing problems. Not sure why it was trotted out as a joke then or now.

Oh, I see.

No. Not those words. We cross posted. I should have quoted, but I am on the app.

I meant that yes, I had actually typed that blackface, and woman face, is offensive.

Though given that the time stamp on those 2 posts is nigh on identical you could have worked that out for yourself!

God, that character "Anne" in the mental health unit.
I was working in a school for children with autism and whenever we were out and about with them some fuckwit would find it funny to go "urgh, urgh, urgh," in the manner of her character.
Appalling programme, glad it's gone.

I asked you if you didn’t know blackface was racist and you said ‘I believe I typed those very words’. This whole conversation came around because you claimed the show couldn’t be viewed as racist because it reflected the views of its time. It didn’t. So I thought you might be confused about what blackface meant, and you said ‘I believe o typed those very words’. I’m not sure what else I was supposed to read into that.

I have explained ^^