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.

@Pumperthrpumper I think the message here is that black lives matter, and a graduation of that is to remove all programs that explore any form of TV material that could be classed as offensive.

But exploiting people and directly connecting deaths with a TV programme is less important

[quote Dollyparton3]@Pumperthrpumper I think the message here is that black lives matter, and a graduation of that is to remove all programs that explore any form of TV material that could be classed as offensive.

But exploiting people and directly connecting deaths with a TV programme is less important[/quote]
Or a completely separate issue.

@haenow NO - I thought it was funny TBH.

[quote stopmoaning4567]@haenow NO - I thought it was funny TBH.[/quote]
Don’t you have something better to do than respond to a poster who said you had nothing better to do than respond to a thread complaining that people had nothing better to do?

I've just remembered something about LB that perhaps shows how widely it was accepted at the time. I only found two character were remotely funny - Vicky Pollard and Daffyd. One of the sketches featured Vicky Pollard's Mum, played by Dawn French. She was a large lady at the time and married to Lenny Henry.

@NeverFit exactly I wouldn't class it quite the same and there are t many black female actors on our screens in day to day programmes very often
One of my favourite ever shows was Desmonds and you don't get shows made like this anymore , so not a diverse enough mix across the board

@NeverFit I totally agree with you.

The first time I heard of Little Britain was when a 9 year old told our group at work that she likes to watch it. The teacher sort of said that’s nice through gritted teeth. I had no idea then a few days later it was on the TV. I couldn’t believe it was on the TV for starters, never mind a 9 year old staying up till 9pm to watch it.

I had an 8 year old and there was no way she was getting to watch it.

You cant change the past, it is what it was.
Yes it was mainstream and some was funny. im of the era of a programme called love thy neighbour, "where the black man called the white man a white honky. Most black people I knew thought it was funny.
im NOT saying its right, but it was only a few years ago gay folks were picked on, or disabled.
We are all learning ALL of the time. Humour is after all based on fact, we need to be able to laugh at ourselves.

There’s a difference between laughing at yourself and someone else dressing up as you to laugh at you though.

@WiddlinDiddlin I'm not going to quote your post as there's too many good points. Bang on. It is EXACTLY about taking the piss out of the way humans stereotype each other. And we do. And we always have and we always will - it helps us make sense of the world and there's often a grain of truth in it and quite frankly I think it's great we are all different. It makes life interesting.

The fact that BAME women in the media are always a bit white looking as mentioned by a PP is far more relevant. I get annoyed by the MacDonald's ads with black families. It's either a bit token and not realistic or a bit cynical targeting - where's the real life normal people who live and work in every industry and part of the UK?

And don't get me started on the kardadhians or love island. DO NOT get offended by little Britain if you watch and support this utter shit. The damage these fucking awful programs are doing to thousands of young girls (and boys) and the semi porn promoted by instagram not to mention the constant incest and abuse porn on pornhub and you're all up in arms about David Williams snd Matt Lucas??? Mad. Fucking crazy.

@Barney60 I remember love thy neighbour. If I remember correctly the black character was a razor sharp, super cool guy with fantastic lines. No one was making a fool of him on that - the joke was on the idiots who were living in the past.

LOVED little Britain.
I'd still watch it now but I had housemates back in the day playing it none stop so I know most sketches.

I never once saw the black woman with bubbles as funny because she's black, I just found it funny. No issue with what colour any character is or how they look/ sound. I actually don't see how offence could be taken at the black woman and not the white? Maybe I'm missing something?
I'm happy to hear things from other opinions as I genuinely want my eyes opening more.
Fwiw I have friends of all cultures and found little Britain sketches taking the piss out of white people funny too.

I think the whole point of it was that virtually every character made you squirm with how wrong they were

Yeah I had to look it up again to even clock that the walliams character was black. I'm still traumatised by the fat suit 😮. Never did find Dennis Waterman funny, thought it must be some kind of in joke (he's really short?).

And Harry Enfield. Omg. The ones where they had 'A Northerner' as a pet. Just shocking. And funny. And shocking. Brilliant.

I really hope the UK doesn't go all PC because the best comedy in the world comes out of the UK. Most of it is offensive to someone - if the Black Lives Matter movement are protesting and they are saying they feel offended that's different. But I'm not seeing that on this thread. I've not heard anyone I know say it.

The black people I know ususlly have got better things to be pissed off about than David Walllisms in a fat suit playing a character that was all about everything but her race. Like not getting interviews and stuff.

One girl I know (works in the city) is told she has to have her hair in braids then kind of tied back as it looks 'more professional'. Ffs. Says who???

YANBU op

I have never gotten Little Britain (I’ve always found it naff, offensive and genuinely not at all funny) but I think the same about a number of other supposedly popular comedies (The league of gentlemen and The Mighty Boosh to name a few)

GB public have just got their knickers in a twist again because it’s actually (Finally) been called out as racist shit so now everyone must be a bloody snowflake 🙄

@Pumperthepumper

Again, Gwenhwyfar your reluctance to answer speaks volumes.

To answer what? What's your question? Write in full sentences please.

"Although you still didn’t answer my question. He’s not only acting - he’s dressing up as another race to take the piss. Can you honestly not see that as an issue?"

OK, now I see your question. I've already answered it!

"Who played the stereotypes in Motherland? I don’t remember anyone in blackface?"

The most stereotypical I think was the stay at home dad who was a total drip, message being that a masculine man wouldn't look after children. It might be seen differently in a few years.

@Pumperthepumper

So many people on here who see Little Britain as a great loss but can’t articulate why.

It's pretty simple: we found it funny.

Little Britain was two comedians (well supposedly) taking the piss out of the British and to do this the dressed up. They could have done what many TV shows do and just ignore that there are any black people or if they do they are just facilitators in the main white characters roles. Shows in the late 90s and 20s such as Cold feet, most British soaps, American sit coms Friends, HIMYM, they would occasionally add a black character but either as tokenism or to make the white character more interesting. It’s this that still has not got much better. Itvs untouchables Phillip & Holly, Ant & Dec, Bradley Walsh wheeled out time and time again. GMTV occasionally allows a BAME presenter if everyone else is ill. Yes if Little Britain was now they would not do blackface but they probably just portray a white Britain.

@FreakStar

Is drag offensive to women?

Can't speak for anyone else but no, not to me

I'm shocked that I used to find this funny.
I am shocked at a lot of things I have said or done and I am mixed race.
We are waking up. I never believed I'd see slave statues thrown in the river and then prominent establishment representatives calling for more of the same.
finally Bob Dylans words mean something and I am rejoicing.

I never thought it was fuuny.

This kind of material works in a cartoon (eg South Park). It's really the blackface that ruins it.

What's interesting is that it was exported very successfully all over the world. From speaking to people who enjoyed it, I got the impression that they felt they were laughing at the British as a whole, not necessarily at offensive stereotypes.