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.

FYI it was Tong Ting actually.

I’ve said this three times, at least: because if they don’t, it’s punching down.

I know, what makes them laugh I wonder.

If I ever get to the point that I’m over-analysing and looking for justice within a comedy sketch show I really hope someone gives me a massive, massive kick up the arse. And then goes NC with me

Well pumper is right. It is punching down. Racists are pretty down on the ladder of intelligence

People always say this but the problem with Little Britain is that it wasn’t funny. Not ‘oh you have no sense of humour’ it was just poorly written nonsense.

People also like to shout ‘satire satire’ but Little Britain wasn’t satirical. For it to be satirical it would have had to be actively making fun of someone’s racist views or something like that. That’s not what it was doing. The joke was that the working class teen mum was chavvy and stupid and slaggy with 6 kids. It wasn’t like Catherine Tate where Lauren presents as being a certain way then suddenly will start ranting in French or reciting the periodic table. The point is that the audience judges Lauren (as society does) then has it turned on them, to highlight the silliness of judging someone based on superficial things. With Vicky, it’s just two wealthy white men sneering at the ‘less-than’ people. And they don’t even manage to be witty while they’re at it.

Because if the racist character never gets her comeuppance, it’s just punching down.

That's not how comedy/satire has to work, though. And don't all the people in FatFighters rebel against Marjorie's racist and fat phobic tyranny in the last series? (I haven't seen it for a long time.) This thread makes me want to watch it all again, because I found lots of it hilarious at the time, and also some of it made me a little queasy. But comedy and disgust have a lengthy association with one another and have done for about 2500 years at least.

There’s no difference.

Both were done in an ironic way to point out the stupidity of various characters and situations. It wasn’t racist - it was showing up racism.

They just used different words in the script, that’s all.

What makes me laugh is well written, well acted comedy. I especially like British comedies as I find they often have a lot of ‘heart.’ A lot of the time they encourage you to laugh because you recognise yourself or people you know in them.

Not someone shouting ‘yeah but no but’ while dressed as a grotesque parody of a teenage girl. Not a white man dressing up as a ‘Thai ladyboy’ bride called Ting Tong. Because that’s actually not very funny.

Well if only you’d been around in 2003 in the BBC studios to pitch that idea - but you weren’t. Still doesn’t take away that it was poking fun at racists, not black people.

Seriously HOW are you not getting that? It’s SO OBVIOUS that it was making fun of bigots, not marginalised people. The jokes, like with Ting Tong apparently being a bloke from Tooting, are very nuanced and clever, and the only butt of the jokes are the fools, the bigots and the racists.

I’ve explained why it’s different. The fact that you think David Walliams being Bubbles De Veré (was it? Or the lady in the sauna?) is the same as Jez’s girlfriend making him wear blackface because she’s obsessed with taboos, and he does it because he so desperately wants to shag her even though he’s uncomfortable with it is exactly why I believe you don’t know what satire is.

It wasn’t though. It was racist bollocks on prime time tv. Racists were not watching little Britain and feeling ashamed.

JFC.

Little Britain makes fun of people with that Little England type mindset. Of the lowest common denominator of humans. It would be a pretty shot show if you made fun of racists without showing them being racists wouldn’t it.

Isn't the comeuppance the fact that the racist person is being presented as an ignorant, mockable bigot to the audience? Or is comeuppance only delivered if a Character of Colour gets to stand up and make an impassioned speech before revealing that she's secretly the racist's boss? How are you defining comeuppance?

I have mixed feelings about the show myself so I have no interest in defending it to the hilt, I'm just not convinced by your particular argument.

For it to be satirical it would have had to be actively making fun of someone’s racist views or something like that.

Thats exactly what is was doing.

But nice to have another self-appointed Decider of What’s Funny. Clearly your views trump everyone else’s in the world. It wasn’t funny in your opinion

No comeuppance in that the laughter track plays while Matt Lucas is being racist and the lady sits silently.

Erm, good for you?

You do know people are different from one another, right?

Obviously. Everything I say is generally in my opinion - I don’t tend to express myself in other people’s opinions. And it was ‘poking fun at racists’ in your opinion. In my opinion it was a load of unfunny and offensive (plus badly written and dully repetitive) nonsense.

You asked ‘what makes these people laugh.’ It’s a pretty common question with certain types though - if you don’t find their offensive jokes funny you ‘don’t have a sense of humour.‘ I answered your question and told you what makes me laugh.

I thought it was funny at first until I realised it was the same stupid gags week after week. How many times can you laugh at at an old woman pissing herself? Some if it was good, the weight watchers scenes were funny, but tiny Dennis Waterman? Rubbish!

Bubbles De Vere was a white character played by Matt Lucas.

Yeah sure, I’m the one confused about satire, says the person who can’t see that a show called Little Britain is a comedy making fun of well, Little Britainers.

FWIW, Peep Show isn’t a satirical comedy.

Fucking Norah you STILL don’t get it.

The fact that racists didn’t feel ashamed doesn’t change the fact that it was a show poking fun at racists. That was the material. The fact that racists didn’t respond in self realisation doesn’t matter a jot

Exactly - what on earth was funny about a man dressing up as an elderly lady then loudly pissing himself until he’s standing in a huge puddle episode after episode? Do people really think that’s well written and sharp comedy? Do they laugh at it? Why? What’s funny about it?

What was the character David Walliams played in blackface? Peep show is definitely satirical.

Here.

Yea, I think this poster is expecting a sketch show to be loaded with Hollywood movie moments. When some of us can recognise that the fact that all the antagonists were pretty miserable and total hypocrites, as ‘having their commupence’.