Little Britain

[tallulahhula33]

Just seen an interesting discussion on Twitter regarding Little Britain and how damaging it was to minority groups in the UK. I must admit I liked it at the time (I was a teenager) but can't understand how they got away with it now. And I don't think I've ever seen them apologise for it?

There was the disabled guy pretending to be disabled.
The old lady who threw up when she found out anyone foreign had baked the cake and she was eating.
The university secretary who used blatant racist language.
Also transphobic/homophobic issues.

Were they perhaps double bluffing by poking fun at the views of people who for example think all disabled people are fakers? Or was it really that offensive? It definitely wouldn't be aired now but it wasn't really all that long ago. And Walliams and Lucas are still very much in the public eye.

Do you really think that there were no shows that used blackface between 1930s and 2003?

It was of it’s time - there definitely wasn’t a public outcry about the show, it was extremely popular.

Can we just all agree it’s fucking ridiculous to apply modern day standards to old shows?

I don’t think there were any others in 2003 using Asian/black face? Can you think of more?

Do you think racists are less racist now? I'm not sure racists ever think they are the wrong.
No, I don't think they're any less racist now sadly, as you say they never think they're wrong.
I just don't think that legitimising their views ( in their eyes) is a good thing as it just emboldens them and their racist attitudes.

Indeed. Racists aren’t suddenly going to be enlightened by an increase of woke comedy. I don’t know many racists and so wouldn’t know their opinion of Little Britain but I very much imagine the fact they THEY are being laughed at was completely lost on them.

And that’s fine - it’s a comedy show, not a crusade or campaign to eradicate racism.

This thread could well be a MN first
Not only those that didn't like LB are racist and thick
but those that like LB are racist and thick.

Scrubs
30 rock
Mighty Boosh
league of Gentlemen

More recent than 2003:
Peep show
it’s always sunny in Philadelphia

Tropic Thunder, which is a movie (and also uses it satirically)

I can see the argument that aspects of Little Britain were mocking the racists. I think Come Fly With Me was worse - Precious was a black woman (ML in black face) who would make up spurious excuses to shut her coffee shop early. Where’s the satire there? Is that not just gratuitous laughing at the racist stereotype of black people being lazy?

I think society has moved on. I used to laugh at it, not because I didn’t think it was racist but because I was young and pig ignorant and thought “well it is just a joke, not harm is meant”. I’m now ashamed of that and realise that you can’t excuse things on the basis that people are just joking. I’m much more educated about that now and I think society in general is as well.

Peep show used blackface to show how uncomfortable the character was with taboos. It wasn’t a long-running character in costume. I haven’t seen the others. I was thinking of Come Fly with Me.

I just don't think that legitimising their views ( in their eyes) is a good thing as it just emboldens them and their racist attitudes.

Where do you draw the line with legitimising things in others eyes though?

Satire is always inappropriate. That’s the entire point of it.

Oh FGS you asked for examples of blackface. You got them. But apparently rly they’re not good enough 🙄

Weird you can understand the irony in Peep Show but can’t see the exact same thing in Little Britain.

Was Robert Webb using blackface worth the comedy, BTW? Was his racism (by your standards) worth it?

It was worth it, yes. It showed his character has limits and he looked ridiculous for going along with something insane that he was clearly uncomfortable with just to fuck his girlfriend. She asks him to pretend she’s his mum too, so it’s not just the black lface for laughs. So yes, worth it for his character development because at no point was anyone laughing at a black character. Can you see the difference?

I loved Ann…. Eh eh ehhhhh

This! I was always unsure of black face but everything else I found hilarious. I knew lots of Vicky Pollard characters in RL...

Dust, anybody???

Woke is killing comedy
See, what even is that supposed to mean?!
You lose your argument when you spurt out woke.
What do you mean exactly by woke?
Are you referring to racism people have brought up?

I always viewed it as them telling us how NOT to be!

The woman at the uni who was racist to everyone? At the end she got a taste of her own medicine and it made her cry and see the error of her ways.

The woman who was sick ended up getting a kidney from a foreign person so wouldn't be alive without it.

They were playing on stereotypes.

I'm probably the wrong person to ask though as I'm a fan of Matt and David, have been from the start. I also have a huge Little Britain tattoo!

I hated the one where he fancied the old lady, and took her to the toilet.

I think it was edgy and uncomfortable, did what it was trying to do, and at times went too far.

Can someone explain the fat naked ladies in the sauna though? I can't remember what the joke was. I just know it stung!

@Room242BringAFriend

I always viewed it as them telling us how NOT to be!
Yes, see I can see that but if you're not white and on the receiving end of butts of jokes because of the colour of your skin I can see that too, or people in wheelchairs claiming disability are just faking it
Yes, doesn't mean you are, but doesnt stop it feeding into negative stereotypes people will bully or discriminate against you for.

Tbh bullies will always find something whether it's on tv or not.

Whatever happened to the striped baby strollers that used to abound in Vicki Pollard's day? Now them babies have grown up and are putting their own babies in 'travel systems' instead.

VP was a 'spot on' character - as a single mum myself, even prior to VP I could see the comedic 'value' in a VP Comedy Character and would have taken it to The Stage myself but I'm not a Performing Artiste so natch it t'weren't me.

It was rubbish and crude. What on earth is so funny about ppl wetting themselves and saying yer i know all the time in a wheelchair. David Walliams is such a creep. Be much better if he'd just stuck to writing books as he seems quite popular with that.

I loved Lou and Andy, and Marjorie!

I found it so funny when Vicky P said she had "six kids by seven different fathers"!

Tbh bullies will always find something whether it's on tv or not
True, but why give them ammunition?
Whether that be racism or something else

They will find the amunition anyway. I mean ee can't really ban things because some dumdums are to dumdums to get it and use it wrongly.
We would have to get rid of SO many things.
It's kind of like saying "we can't make knives because some thicker than maccies milkshake twots think it's ok to stab people" while millions are doing with them just fine and get the proper function of them