Little Britain has come under fire for its controversial characters, with streaming services now taking a stand against the problematic show.
Netflix was first to make the decision to remove Little Britain, starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams, from its streaming platform, with BBC iPlayer and Britbox soon following suit, stressing that ‘times have changed’.
The move followed Black Lives Matter protests and mainstream conversations speaking out against systemic racism, with the platforms deciding to remove Little Britain with immediate effect due to its use of blackface.
The series sees its stars Matt Lucas and David Walliams wear make up for some of its controversial characters, including Walliams character Desiree Devere.
Among other characters that have been criticised include Thai bride Ting Tong, Maggie Blackamoor – a member of the Women’s Institute, who is racist and homophobic, Majorie Dawes – a ‘fat fighters’ weight loss coach, and ‘unconvincing transvestites’ Emily and Florence.
But what have Lucas and Walliams said about the show and its controversies?
Both comedians have stressed that if Little Britain was to return to TV nowadays, they would do things ‘differently’, with Lucas admitting the show is now ‘more of a cruel kind of comedy’.
October 2017
Matt addressed the show 10 years after it wrapped up on TV in 2007 and said that he wouldn’t return to some of Little Britain’s characters because of the changes in society’s attitudes today.
Speaking to Big Issue, he stressed: ‘If I could go back and do Little Britain again, I wouldn’t make those jokes about transvestites. I wouldn’t play black characters.
‘Basically, I wouldn’t make that show now. It would upset people. We made a more cruel kind of comedy than I’d do now.’
He said: ‘Society has moved on a lot since then and my own views have evolved. There was no bad intent there – the only thing you could accuse us of was greed. We just wanted to show off about what a diverse bunch of people we could play.
‘Now I think it’s lazy for white people to get a laugh just by playing black characters. My aim is to entertain, I don’t have any other agenda. And as I’ve got older, I’ve become more empathetic, I care more about hurting people.’
April 2018
In an interview with Radio Times, Walliams stressed that if Little Britain was to return to screens, it would have to be done differently.
‘You’d definitely do it differently because it’s a different time now,’ the Britain’s Got Talent judge said, pointing out that Little Britain first came together nearly 20 years ago as it initially started on radio.
He said: ‘It’s hard to say specifically how it would be different. There’s all kinds of tolerances that change. People understand people’s predicaments more now. Maybe it’s, “we see this differently, we’ve got more information,” and it would be a different type of joke.’
Walliams insisted he and Lucas did think about the ‘offence’ such characters could cause, but added: ‘I wouldn’t rule out anything because I basically think you have to be able to make jokes about everything, everyone. Otherwise, there is no point having comedy.’
January 2020
Earlier this year, Walliams had said that despite Little Britian’s characters being criticised for their portrayal of people of colour, the transgender community, people with disabilities and the working class, the intention of the show was not to mock.
He told The Sun: ‘You’ve got to understand comedy for me is celebrating things.’
Again, Walliams stressed that if Little Britain was to make a comeback, things would have to change to reflect ‘all kinds of tolerances that change’.
April 2020
Matt again addressed the idea that Little Britain would need to re-evaluate, as talk of the show returning started doing the rounds again in April when it briefly made a comeback with its Big Night In sketch.
‘I think the reason the show was successful is because it reflected how we all were back when we made it,’ Matt told The Sun.
‘If we hadn’t have got that right it wouldn’t have been so popular. I think to make it successful today you’d have to reflect how we all are now.’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE: Taylor Swift calls for police reform after dragging Trump: ‘Racial injustice is ingrained deeply’
MORE: Drake’s producer felt ‘like s**t’ when Pusha T mocked his multiple sclerosis diagnosis in diss track
0 Commentaires