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.

[Destroyedpeople]

Oh I liked the tiny Dennis Waterman it was so random....

[DomDoesWotHeWants]

I never watched it. Walliams gives me the creeps.

[Vodkacranberryplease]

And I think they are actually taking the piss out of the stereotypes. Not the real versions. Matt Lucas is hardly a trump voting right wing nutter.

He a completely bald and unfortunately shaped gay man who is actually willing to go on telly in skin tight hot pants and tops. I'm sorry but that takes real guts.

[Chiyo666]

Being taken the piss out of and being racially abused is very different.

I’m half black and half chinese, and unfortunately I was at school when this came out. Being called Ting Tong for 5 years, and having people shout “Mr Dudwee” every time I walked into a room is horrible and I’m glad this shit is seen as unacceptable now so that my mixed race children don’t have to suffer with as much shit as ive had to.

[SuckingDieselFella]

@justanotherneighinparadise

The idea is that from a comedians POV everyone is up for having the piss taken out of them. Fat, short, bald, old, ginger, every colour, every culture etc etc.

Ricky Gervaise did it too.

The difference is that he was funny.

[justanotherneighinparadise]

@Chiyo666

Being taken the piss out of and being racially abused is very different.

I’m half black and half chinese, and unfortunately I was at school when this came out. Being called Ting Tong for 5 years, and having people shout “Mr Dudwee” every time I walked into a room is horrible and I’m glad this shit is seen as unacceptable now so that my mixed race children don’t have to suffer with as much shit as ive had to.

Oh god I can only imagine 😬

[nomorefencepostsplease]

Don't watch any 70s sitcoms OP - your head might explode.

[BlusteryLake]

The whole show was awful in every aspect. I don't know how it ever got commissioned.

[MockersGuidedByTheScience]

Leigh Francis/Keith Lemon has repented.

No word yet from Sacha Baron Cohen.

[RuffleCrow]

It was an era where comedians were setting out to outdo each other for shock value. Frankie Boyle, Brasseye, Jam , etc. Nothing was sacred. Wasn't my favourite show but I think the joke was more about how ridiculous they both looked as 'women' generally. The fact that it clearly wasn't ok was the whole point.

[Tabithha]

Horrible show. It might not have been racist but it was definitely ignorant and there’s a fine line between the 2. I don’t know how this was ever ok

[Vodkacranberryplease]

@Chiyo666 I can't disagree with that. Sadly these programs provide a wealth of material for school children the world over. There was always some comedy skit doing the rounds and some poor person who just happened to be in some way suitable to be the butt of that.

My school nicknames were pirates dream (sunken chest) and builders dream (4 x 2 and never been screwed). Charming.

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

It’s all pretty nasty. Still, we move on.

[Destroyedpeople]

And as for 70s sitcoms..I am sorry but in fact Rising Damp is still funny if somewhat dated. Little Britain just isn't' really.

[MellowBird85]

People falling over themselves at the moment to find something to be offended by and really scraping the barrel with “isms”. I think some people won’t be happy until we’ve got a Puritan society.

It’a satire for Christ sake and it was fucking funny.

[Snowpatrolling]

I’m a blonde overweight Bristolian,
Because of that damn show I was nick named Vicky by a lot of people.
Bloody irritating!

[IagoWithABlackberry]

I never watched much of it, so I've not seen the blackface sketch but surely the point was that the show was, at some point, offensive to everyone. Pretty much every character was an exaggerated caricature, they weren't supposed to be realistic representations of different demographics. For example, if you watch the only gay in the village, do you think
"Yes, the intention here is to say that this is how all homosexual men are like."
Or
"Oh look, they've used common stereotypes of gay men to create a comedic character. Oh wait, that's what they've done with every other character!"

[SomewhereEast]

I don't remember the blackface specifically, but I never really got LB. It was just mean-spirited somehow?

[Gimmecaffeine]

It’a satire for Christ sake and it was fucking funny.

Satire? Are you sure you know what satire means?

Little Britain was bloody low. Lazy comedy based on stereotypes and catchphrases.

[EloiseTheFirst]

I agree.

It's on Netflix at the moment and I've rewatched it recently. I was shocked that it was allowed on tv to be honest. But I don't think it's racist. But it is offensive.

But in a way I think it's good to see how far we've come. This programme was from about 15 years ago and it definitely wouldn't be allowed now.

[ITonyah]

I thought it was quite funny at the time.
You might as well add League of Gentlemen to the retrospectively shocking comedy show - animal cruelty, blackface, traveller stereotypes, transgender mocking. Still hilarious though.

[ITonyah]

I do agree LB has aged badly!

[Dollyparton3]

The whole point of the humour was that it pointed fun at the stereotypes in British society. The characters depicted the way that people who are racist, homophobic, sizeist, anti benefits scrounging, biased against disability etc viewed the world.

Not to make fun of the disabled, BAME, LGBTQ. I'm genuinely upset that it's been removed from my choice to stream if I want to. And if you didn't like it, you didn't have to stream it. That's the whole point of on demand TV.

[Pumperthepumper]

Little Britain was bloody low. Lazy comedy based on stereotypes and catchphrases.

The entire show punched down too. Still, we really should defend these programmes if able-bodied white people say they’re harmless.

[Pumperthepumper]

The whole point of the humour was that it pointed fun at the stereotypes in British society. The characters depicted the way that people who are racist, homophobic, sizeist, anti benefits scrounging, biased against disability etc viewed the world.

No, the whole point of the show was it was the same two white English men who carried out the stereotypes. It’s punching down.