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.

I hate that program, nothing funny there at all.

Its not offensive because the whole point is the two white males act out different characters. If it was a whole episode of one black character then yes get a black actor in but in that case it wasnt if anything they were inclusive to make a black version of bubblez devere. Ffs they acted a white racist woman in fight fighters club that dismissed the asian womans fish and chips answer to favourite dish or similar by curry and the WI racist white woman, the creepy white ting tongs husbands. The world has gone nuts!

I'm not sure why I never found David Walliams funny but this is why I didn't watch Little Britain. Even then I didn't miss how successful it was.

The show came at a time when we were generally comfortable calling a section of society chavs, perhaps this is why it was successful!

I don't believe it was successful as a piece of art that critiqued those who were classist, homophobic, or racist. Possibly it's USP when being sold to TV companies but not the truth of it!

Its not offensive because the whole point is the two white males act out different characters.

It is offensive though......and racist.

I run an organisation for physically disabled people, many of them use wheelchairs. They all generally find the character of Andy really amusing and frequently do impressions of him.

Personally I find it hard to watch except for Marjorie Daws, computer says no woman and the gay minister (who my gay brother found hilarious).

Like it or hate it though - if a comedy team were making a show about stereotypes in a culture and they didn’t refer to any BAME, disabled, LGBTQ groups wouldn’t they be guilty of racism etc. by exclusion?

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 think that's true. I was in my 20s when it aired and most people I knew thought LB was crass and unfunny. Two white, middle class men, taking the piss out of everyone who wasn't like them wasn't ironic or subversive. It was just punching down.

I am disabled and sometimes have to use a wheelchair. I can walk for short distances so sometimes it's easier to get out of the chair rather than navigate through tables to get to the loo in a restaurant. The automatic response that generates is "Andy from LB" comments.

Can any LB fans explain how Lucas and Walliams "highlighting ridiculous stereotypes" actually helps those depicted in the stereotypes? Heres a huge clue: It didn't. It just gave knobheads convenient characters to use as tropes to abuse us with.

Still, no doubt the rights of those PP's to laugh at shite, faaaar outweighs the rights of the disabled or BAME communities to not be ridiculed and humiliated further

Oh, and for all the "my gay mate/Thai friend finds it hilarious" posters: internalised prejudice is a thing and also bully for them that they haven't been on the receiving end of horrible treatment due to LB. I can guarantee they wouldn't feel the same way of they had. And even if they did, it doesn't make those of us who have been on the receiving end of "ever so amusing" tropes feel any better!

@Gwenhwyfar

"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!

No you didn’t. But it’s ok, I think you’ve proved you’re not capable of any deeper thought than ‘well, I liked it so I’m prepared to ignore how racist it was’.

David walliams may have agreed that LB it’s no longer appropriate yet he continues to write books of the same ilk. His books about the world’s worst children for example (in particular the child who can’t stop wriggling and spinning) - oh yes, let’s write a story about what is clearly a child with adhd and mock them. After all, that’s what the kids do in school anyway.

My cousin has just posted an article about Dick Van Dyke being erased from the film of Mary Poppins, because of the "blackface". Lots of her friends posted angry complaints about the world going mad! Then somebody pointed out the whole article was a joke...think the bit about anyone who saw the film being offered free counselling should have been a clue! Or the reference to Dick Van Dyke's name meaning Penis Van Lesbian.......

The only reason people are moaning is because of the BLM movement. Nobody said anything before. I am sick of the protests TBH.

Matt Lucas was funny in Bridesmaids to be fair.

I haven't seen that derxa - but again, to be fair, when I've seen him on chat shows etc, he doesn't come across as a particularly unpleasant person - whereas Walliams makes my skin crawl.

However if Matt Lucas could collaboratewith him for so long, they must have some sort of rapport. (Mind you, I've heard that plenty of double-acts hate the sight of each other, so maybe not . . . )

Keith Lemon is so nasty and struggle to understand why anyone laughs at him

I also find both the man and the character, vile.

I guess we're left with Michael McIntyre ridiculing members of the public and Mrs Brown's Boys then

Neither of these is funny.

And Mrs Brown's boys is so unfunny it's an embarrassment (I think it's really patronisingly homophobic, too)

While I don't think your BU; I also dont think these kinds of show were made to he offensive.
They kind of take the mick out of all walks of life. There's no discrimination!
I think if we start removing any movie or programme that is mildly offensive; there will he nothing left to watch past 2005?!
It wasnt offensive back then because it was real life at the time.
It is what it is.

They kind of take the mick out of all walks of life. There's no discrimination!

Really? If you fit into any if the categories marginalized on LB then fine, that's your opinion. If you don't, then what makes you think you can judge the content on behalf of those who do?

whereas Walliams makes my skin crawl. I feel similar but he plays on this cringe factor. There are many people in show business and the arts who aren't particularly 'nice' people. He is often portrayed as a poor version of Roald Dahl who definitely wasn't 'nice'. How far do you want to go with this. Caravaggio was a wonderful artist but he almost certainly murdered someone.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravaggio

Apparently they're now saying some of the actors on EastEnders aren't actually from the East End.

The whole point of the show was to enhance stereotypes and be a mockery of the people that believed the stereotypes rather than a mockery of the characters themselves. Even the title "Little Britain" pokes fun at the small mindedness of British people.

@Pawsandnoses

The whole point of the show was to enhance stereotypes and be a mockery of the people that believed the stereotypes rather than a mockery of the characters themselves. Even the title "Little Britain" pokes fun at the small mindedness of British people.

That might be what was meant. But actually, it did just mock the people themselves.

@Moonmelodies, what is this madness of which you speak?

I will never, ever forgive that awful twat for 'bitty', in avoiding them I've managed to avoid their rampant racism apparently. It's pretty shocking.

Oh please 🙄This is getting ridiculous now.
It’s a bloody comedy show

I’m honestly genuinely surprised there are so many people who don’t see a white man in blackface as an issue. Particularly white British people who under no circumstance would allow say, James Bond to be a black man. Remember the outrage when Dr Who was cast as a woman? But David Walliams as a black woman, no, we must save this absolute hero of British comedy, what will we watch now?

The truth is that there's not much comedy that stands the test of time. So much comedy is funny because it is very much of its time. Little Britain was offensive when it was made - the fact that it was so outrageous was part of the joke (it wasn't just the odd sketch it was almost every sketch), but it felt safe to laugh at it then. The clue was in the name Little Britain - taking the piss out of everything that diminished Britain. It was made for different times. Much harder to laugh at it now that the country has shown its true colours. Britain is a nastier place now as a result of the Brexit vote. Now we live in Little Britain it suddenly doesn't seem quite so funny.