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.

@Raaaa Since you ask:

• The League of Gentlemen
• The Goons
• Blackadder
• The Young Ones
• The Simpsons
• Aqua Teen Hunger Force
• Mystery Science Theatre 3000
• Black Books
• Green Wing
• Blackadder
• Goodness Gracious Me
• The Day Today
• Brass Eye
• Alan Partridge

Comedy often pokes fun at stereotypes but I’ve always felt that LB was a bit too mean. As to blacking up!!! I remember seeing the Black and White Minstrels in the 60s and 70s. I felt uncomfortable then and society ridiculed it not long after. I was therefore aghast at Walliams and Lucas resurrecting it in recent years.

Hope LB gets pulled from sale and never gets repeated.

While I might not have found it funny, the whole point of the programme was to show 'little Britain'. Which is exactly it's title. If we can't include/take the piss out of any British people except the white ones, then I think we're making more of a division than we need to. The programme might be offensive, but at least it is inclusively offensive, is it not?

League of extrodinary getleman you say? So how do you feal about Po Lazarus?

I never found little Britain funny and some of it made me feel... uncomfortable when I did watch it. I can totally understand why many find it offensive. Can’t stand David Walliams in general and try and dodge my youngest from reading his books. Read them with my eldest and thought they were shite- badly written and lazy stereotypes. Not going through that again! Ugh.

It targeted everyone. The worst in every demographic in society was portrayed. No point getting your knickers in a knot about it, I believe that we have progressed and such a show wouldn't be on our screens today. Although there is Willie in The Simpsons who portrays an 'offensive' (not that I find it offensive as a Scot, I always have a wee chuckle when he comes on the screen) stereotype of the Scots - drunk, daft accent, angry etc. Should I be offended at that?

It's not about 'losing a sense of humour' it's about saying actually this shit isn't funny. It was pretty woman hating. And your mother slapping you for your word choice is irrelevant.

It's like these people who talk about 'banter'.....usually only amusing for one party and pretty offensive to the other.....yet if you were to say anything they would say. .'.just banter!! Where's your sense 'of humour?'

Bollocks to that...people have had enough of it.

Absolutely hilarious. Loved that show.

june2007 Papa Lazarou (assuming that’s who you’re talking about from League of Gentlemen) isn’t black.

@june2007 It's The League of Gentlemen. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a comic by Alan Moore. I admit that the whole Papa Lazarou thing does weird me out a lot. Luckily he's not in it much - he only appears in a couple of episodes, plus the specials.

I just don't find Little Britain funny. It's not just the blackface. Most of it is just dull and repetitive with annoying catchphrases. There's a couple of sketches I did like. I can't pretend to find it funny just because some of you like it. You probably wouldn't find the stuff I like funny.

Also, I forgot to mention Monty Python. I adore Monty Python.

@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.).

I'm SO glad you said that because obviously everyone except you missed the joke. Anne has nothing at all wrong with her. She's acting, pretending. That is the joke. NOT that she is disabled or incontinent.

I remember not getting that programme
Was this the same show with the women who would wildly urinate everywhere as well? I never understood the 'humour'

The flute playing Hotelier was vaguely amusing and the Feeme toon

Mr Doggy was grim

I do think a lot of comedy has the potential to be offensive, especially if you’re easily offended! Don’t think this character was any more or less offensive than the rest of the sketches. They were exaggerated stereotypical characters, from every walk of life.

YABU. People are just trying to find offence in everything these days. It’s so tiring.

It’s a comedy show, and the whole point is that it poked fun at everyone. If it’s not your type of comedy, just don’t watch it.

[quote CompletelyFUBAR]@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.).

I'm SO glad you said that because obviously everyone except you missed the joke. Anne has nothing at all wrong with her. She's acting, pretending. That is the joke. NOT that she is disabled or incontinent.[/quote]
No it isn’t - the joke is Walliams is pretending to be a woman pretending to be disabled, incontinent and unable to speak. How is that better? It’s still a man taking the piss of a disability.

also due to the change in the general social consciousness

There is no change in social consciousness since 2002 - we’re not talking about the 30s - it was always fucking weird that blackface was allowed on TV at this point.

Little Britain touched on everything
Gender
Weight
Mental health
Race
Wealth

Nothing was sacred.

And it was bloody brilliant!!

@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.).

Why does that make it any better? What's funny about watching a man dressed up as a lady who pretends to be mentally unwell and incontinent?

Ha bloody ha.

I remember it being popular when I was in secondary school, being fairly vulnerable and “the only gay in the village” along with mocking homophobic behaviour was not pleasant.

I don’t know about Matt Lucas, but David Walliams continues with his awful stereotypes in his childrens books.

I find censorship terrifying; where does it end - book burning? I'd rather watch and be offended and engage about the problem, or laugh because humour often treads towards the absurd/ridiculous. Milan Kundera's, 'The Joke' is a brilliant short treatise on the banishment of humour.

Yeah he writes shit books too.

No it isn’t - the joke is Walliams is pretending to be a woman pretending to be disabled, incontinent and unable to speak. How is that better? It’s still a man taking the piss of a disability.

With all due respect you need to go back and rewatch the sketch. The joke is that Anne is perfectly OK and is stringing the Doctor along...not that Anne is incapacitated in any way.. She isn't! Just like Andy who is suddenly perfectly OK when there's no one around.

@Buzzfrightyears

I do think a lot of comedy has the potential to be offensive, especially if you’re easily offended! Don’t think this character was any more or less offensive than the rest of the sketches. They were exaggerated stereotypical characters, from every walk of life.

Oh god, just give this two seconds of thought! Those characters were played by two able-bodied white English men - that’s the joke, it’s punching down. If it was some satirical take down on the attitudes of Britain, why didn’t they have multi-raced actors? Why didn’t they have disabled actors? Because then it wouldn’t have been funny, the evidence of what you were laughing at would be right in front of you.

Erm I think sacha baron cohen was taking the piss out if white people trying to be black no?