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Little Britain pulled from iPlayer and Netflix because 'times have changed'

It’s Time To Go

It’s Time To Go

Member
Dec 2, 2017
20,632
Little Britain has been removed from BBC iPlayer, Netflix and BritBox as objections resurfaced to some of the sketch show's characters.
Netflix pulled the Matt Lucas and David Walliams series on Friday, along with their other comedy Come Fly With Me.
The BBC and Britbox took Little Britain off on Monday. Both outlets said "times have changed" since it first aired.
Both shows include scenes where the comedians portray characters from different ethnic backgrounds.
"There's a lot of historical programming available on BBC iPlayer, which we regularly review," a BBC spokesperson said.
"Times have changed since Little Britain first aired so it is not currently available on BBC iPlayer."

Netflix has not commented on the reasons for the removal, but has said recent reports that it was in negotiations with Walliams and Lucas to make a new series were false.
"We were not in active conversations about reviving the show," a spokesman said.
The removal angered some fans, with one viewer saying people should be able to make their "own choices".
But others have expressed unease about watching sketches which featured the comedians wearing make up to portray different races.
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www.bbc.co.uk

Little Britain pulled from iPlayer and Netflix because 'times have changed'

The corporation says "times have changed" since the sketch show first aired.
www.bbc.co.uk

in case you haven't seen it, these series features racism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, you name it, it was really gross, including blackface. Some examples





 
Rotobit

Rotobit

Editor at Nintendo Wire
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
10,196
Kind of surprised it took this long, especially considering Matt Lucas in particular seems very left-leaning these days

All I'll remember it for is it inspiring teenagers to be extremely obnoxious while presumably missing the point of the jokes (a la South Park). Wasn't quite as annoying as Bo' Selecta though...
 
TheEchosOfTheCyborg

TheEchosOfTheCyborg

Member
Feb 24, 2018
5,238
Remember brother had one of the seasons on DVD when I was in scecondary School and even then I didn't like it, it's the type of mean spirited humour I hate anyway but with tons of ableism, transphobia etc jokes. Remember it was really big with Teens like say Max and Paddy before it and another show that I can't recall what it was called that was similar at the time.

The 00s were a "golden" age for edgy comedies in the UK, wonder what caused it.
 
Stooge

Stooge

Member
Oct 29, 2017
11,222
I only knew of Little Britain as a thing people liked but never watched it. Those clips are a fucking yikes.
 
Grenchel

Grenchel

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Oct 27, 2017
2,296
It's simply not funny. Outside of the problematic stuff, it's like a parody of a British show in a family guy episode.
 
Conciliator

Conciliator

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,131
Somehow I've never even heard this, but based on those skits I definitely wasn't missing anything
 
NeverWas

NeverWas

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Feb 28, 2019
2,605
I watched a few episodes when it first popped up on Netflix, but I don't remember a single thing about it.
 
jelly

jelly

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
33,841
It was always shit.

Walliams comes cross as a prick out of his time in interviews as well.
 
Stooge

Stooge

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Oct 29, 2017
11,222
Rotobit said:
extremely obnoxious while presumably missing the point of the jokes (a la South Park).
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I mean, South Park is horrificly racist/abilist/homophobic/transphobic all the time but does it under the guise of "no one is off limits". Mrs. Garrison is fucking offensive. That "I identify as a dolphin" episode is fucking bullshit. They are some libertarian edge-lord "nothing is off limits" bullshit.

Like, I don't think the people being obnoxious about South Park were missing the point of jokes.
 
Rotobit

Rotobit

Editor at Nintendo Wire
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
10,196
Doctor_Thomas said:
At least it was making fun of celebrities, for the most part.

I always felt like Little Britain came off as mean spirited bullying towards the targets stereotypes.
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Oh yeah it was probably less offensive, it was more the teenagers going "Craaaayg Daayvid" constantly pushed me up the wall, haha

Stooge said:
I mean, South Park is horrificly racist/abilist/homophobic/transphobic all the time but does it under the guise of "no one is off limits". Mrs. Garrison is fucking offensive. That "I identify as a dolphin" episode is fucking bullshit. They are some libertarian edge-lord "nothing is off limits" bullshit.

Like, I don't think the people being obnoxious about South Park were missing the point of jokes.
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Yeah for sure, but there are some people who don't even clear that low bar to see what they're doing is offensive, they just think it's funny period.
 
Wrexis

Wrexis

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Nov 4, 2017
21,247
I was watching a show the other night called It Was Alright in the 80s and I couldn't finish it because of how bad it was.

This honestly isn't much better, 20 years on.



 

Ravensmash

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,797
I liked it when I was a kid - it was absolutely huge when it first came out.

I was thinking about it the other day, and it absolutely wouldn't fly these days. Very very dated now.

Good move.
 
OP
OP
It’s Time To Go

It’s Time To Go

Member
Dec 2, 2017
20,632
Grenchel said:
It's simply not funny. Outside of the problematic stuff, it's like a parody of a British show in a family guy episode.
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Family guy actually did that and its funnier than little Britain
Ravensmash said:
I liked it when I was a kid - it was absolutely huge when it first came out.

I was thinking about it the other day, and it absolutely wouldn't fly these days. Very very dated now.

Good move.
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Come fly with me was much more recent though, 2010 I think and had much of the same faults tbh. Andy and Lou were even on that big night in whenever that was on the BBC.
 
tabris

tabris

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,235
Hmm I like what Disney+ did around its racist and "of the time" content with warnings in the beginning.

But that was for content from the 1940s and 1950s, not 1990s, so I also get this too.
 
Red Liquorice

Red Liquorice

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Oct 27, 2017
9,073
UK
It has aged terrribly, what's funny is it isn't like this hadn't all happened before - There was backlash against mainstream comedy, stereotypes and blackface etc years and years before this show ever came on, it's bizarre that it flew even then. All the 'bad transvetite' stuff is realllly out of step these days too. I was rewatching I think it was in Gimme Gimme Gimme a few weeks back and to hear 'tranny' thrown around in a gay-themed comedy made me doubletake, casual transphobia was just really, really acceptable - it felt like what watching Till Death Us Do Part felt like in the late 80s/90s, just out of time with current attitudes. I don't really watch any modern UK TV these days, but I'd assume it wouldn't fly certainly not in something by gay writers
 

Ravensmash

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,797
CormoranStrike said:
Family guy actually did that and its funnier than little Britain

Come fly with me was much more recent though, 2010 I think and had much of the same faults tbh. Andy and Lou were even on that big night in whenever that was on the BBC.
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I didn't realise it was 2010, that is pretty recent.

But yeah, that's looking very dated now and it's only been 10 years!

I don't recall if there was much discussion about it at the time, but it's hard to think of it even getting commissioned these days.
 
Stinkles

Stinkles

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
20,459
I will miss Tom Baker, the Dennis Waterman sketch (write the feem choon, sing the feem choon) and elements of Computer Says No - But good time to remember how shockingly bad the US special was even if you ignore the problem elements.
 
Rodney McKay

Rodney McKay

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Oct 26, 2017
12,205
Will they pull that Australian comedian show "Lunatics" next?

Had a comedian just play various characters and the "jokes" were about as tone-deaf and shitty as you can think of.

Maybe not AS bad as this show, but some of the characters include: a tall college girl (the joke is that she's tall), a mentally ill ex-pornstar, a "tan" South African pet psychic (totally not black/brown face, the producers said so).
 
TechnicPuppet

TechnicPuppet

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Oct 28, 2017
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Honolulu Blue said:
Given where this country is right now in general, it seems more appropriate now than it ever was. Not acceptable, but appropriate. Starting with the "Little Britain" name.

Expect the usual shithouses to absolutely double down on the decision to remove it. "PC gone mad" etc etc
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Yeah you have a point there. I checked David Walliams Twitter to see what he was saying about it. Nothing yet but he's been drawing attention to BLM type topics recently.
 
Muitnorts

Muitnorts

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
2,144
It was a purposefully offensive and really fucking lazy show.
As a teenager I liked it but it was one of those comedies that made it seem like shock value more important than being a decent person. It wasn't a clever satire it embraced the characters way too much.

It probably shouldn't be erased from history or anything but I don't care if it gets taken off a popular platform.
 
Tregard

Tregard

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Oct 27, 2017
5,221
Not looking forward to the onslaught of #DEFUNDTHEBBC this will cause, but I can't say much has been lost here. It was straight up blackface in the 2000s.

Even not getting "overtly PC", this show made it really easy for kids to bully other kids.
 
Joni

Joni

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Oct 27, 2017
19,508
Come fly with me was hilarious if you saw all those documentaries about British airports that were popular the years before.
 
TheGummyBear

TheGummyBear

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Jan 6, 2018
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tabris said:
Hmm I like what Disney+ did around its racist and "of the time" content with warnings in the beginning.

But that was for content from the 1940s and 1950s, not 1990s, so I also get this too.
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Little Britain (and Come Fly With Me, which was also removed) was much more recent than that.

Little Britain started in 2003 and they were doing black face as recently as 2011.
 
Red Liquorice

Red Liquorice

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Oct 27, 2017
9,073
UK
Honolulu Blue said:
Given where this country is right now in general, it seems more appropriate now than it ever was. Not acceptable, but appropriate. Starting with the "Little Britain" name.

Expect the usual shithouses to absolutely double down on the decision to remove it. "PC gone mad" etc etc
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This is true. They could even have enough material today to bring it back and take the piss out of the right people - Brexitiers, gammons, Bojo....
 
Unaha-Closp

Unaha-Closp

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Oct 25, 2017
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I always hated it so personally I am entirely fine with this. Should have been pulled for being unfunny never mind changing times.
 
TheGummyBear

TheGummyBear

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Jan 6, 2018
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Red Liquorice said:
This is true. They could even have enough material today to bring it back and take the piss out of the right people - Brexitiers, gammons, Bojo....
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Can Walliams be allowed a chance to recover from this?

little-britain-desiree.jpg


Can Matt Lucas be allowed a chance to recover from this?

0_COME-FLY-WITH-ME-CHARACTER-SHOT.jpg


And this isn't 1950's racism where "They didn't know better" can possibly be excused. This was all after the new millennium.

They shouldn't be allowed to only now turn around and say sorry, they should stop being in media completely.
 
TheZjman

TheZjman

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Nov 22, 2018
1,369
User Banned (1 week): whataboutism
Man, I love Come Fly With Me. Some of the Taaj scenes are so good.

Whilst times may have changed and it can be considered offensive etc, why are these shows targeted? You could make an argument for pulling South Park, family guy, the office, the list goes on and on.
 
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