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.

every race, creed and colour was taken he mickey out of - no to everyone's taste but not essentially racist I don't think.

Yes by middle-class WHITE men. So that’s ok....

It was always racist and it’s weird that anyone thought it was acceptable.

But it appealed to Little Britain, now Brexiters, and they didn’t notice or care.

every race, creed and colour was taken he mickey out of - no to everyone's taste but not essentially racist I don't think.

So taking the piss out of many races is less racist than one??

I never liked it. It was vile at the time. It’s one of the reasons I have very little time for David Walliams and Matt Lucas. They carried it on with Come Fly With Me.

Not a silly comment at all, I have seen suggestions of book censoring before on MN. Currently suggesting censoring comedy, TV, films. Thin end of the wedge.

You clearly said 'burning'....

Is this the end of taking the piss then? Will that settle the argument?

Little Britain took what it knew were common, I’ll-informed stereotypes and exaggerated them to absurdity. So yes, I believe that’s satire because they were so ridiculous, they were laughable!

@Pumperthepumper what do you think of the film White Chicks?

Also ‘censoring’ is an interesting word to use just now when we’re seeing such a massive part of British history erased from our education.

Ive never seen the attraction of David Walliams. When it was the popular programme watched with great glee by my sister I was often open mouthed with horror when he was on the screen. I did (and still do) like Matt lucas which is why I stayed with it. But I disliked most of the characters even so.
I refused to buy DD the books when they first came out as I would not add to his coffers. Slimy and nasty I cant bear his stupid face no matter what strange expression he puts on.

*Back in the day? It only aired 18 years ago! It's not like it was a TV series from the fifties or sixties.

Blackface wasn't acceptable in 2002. And quite rightly so.*

It was a popular comedy that aired on the BBC. No Selecta also did it. I don’t recall outrage at the time, it was generally considered funny. Now it is no longer available for viewing and most people would agree such a thing would not be tolerated now. To say there hasn’t been a change in attitudes and insight in the last two decades is disingenuous.

Vodka disabled comedians joking, however darkly, about their own issues is a completely separate thing to able bodied people doing it.

I liked the stereotypical upper-middle class woman- Catherine Tate, I think.

'Children, I'm terribly sorry, but Matilda can't come in to work today. I've had to arrange for..... an agency nanny!' And their horror when she was from the North.

I also quite liked the fact that gingers were included as a minority by the show- people got picked on and bullied a fair bit for being ginger when I was at school and I liked that other people had identified that.

I think generally the show was designed to be irreverent, but agree you'd never get it put on air today. Quite rightly too- if you're going to take the piss out of racial stereotypes (which is fair enough in comedy), you really ought to hire actors who are actually of the ethnicities you want to represent.

@MellowBird85 haven’t seen it - but I can see where your argument is going. Is it ok for black people to take the piss out of white people? Am I right? Do you know about punching up and punching down?

We have already seen a massive part of our history 'censored'.....why not cry about that instead of about people discussing not wanting to watch offensive comedy. ?

They mocked many different people; Gay, disabled, fat etc.

Why have you identified only the offensiveness of the bleach character?

I’m not a fan of the little Britain but I can’t say I even noticed that this character was any more offensive than the rest.

Except if you watched the programme you would know Anne isn,t incontinent or mentally disturbed and is perfectly able to have a conversation. (which is why she has phone calls oin a male voice when the doctor turns his back.).

• sorry, black character.

Little Britain was a racist and misogynist shit fest.

Everything changes.

I referred to a friend of my parents' as "black".
Mother slapped me, and said he' s "coloured"

LB probably couldn't be made today, because so many people have lost a sense of humour.

Comedians took the piss out of everybody, without fear or favour

I thought it was very funny on the whole, even if a bit uncomfortable as I actually look just like Bubbles naked. 😀 "Have you rung my husband on the Monte Carlo number darling? 123-456?!"

@june2007

Except if you watched the programme you would know Anne isn,t incontinent or mentally disturbed and is perfectly able to have a conversation. (which is why she has phone calls oin a male voice when the doctor turns his back.).

So what’s the joke? That walliams is pretending to be a woman who’s pretending to be brain damaged? How is that better?

To those disgusted by this, what comedy do you find funny, just wondering?

I never found it funny, apart from the mad customer and Tom Baker.

Can we also ban their misogynist 'drag' acts as well?

Little Britain was a racist and misogynist shit fest.

I would agree with this but I certainly didn’t see that at the time. The fact that is see it now is largely due to having matured since my teenage years and I also due to the change in the general social consciousness.