[TV] Little Britain Pulled from IPlayer

[Napper]

But could you imagine the complaints the Beeb would get if that was widely shown today. Even some of the old Fools and Horses episodes made a number of stereotypical jokes in some episodes about being gay or at the expense of foreigners. My point is just where will the line be drawn? Countless so called comedies could get pulled at this rate.

I just think we are too easily offended these days and the whole country is becoming too PC.

lucklily in the real world , in the workplaces , on the building , in the pubs + social clubs , people are still people and not the wilting easily offended cry babies that make themselves heard the loudest in the media

 

[Mo Gosfield]

Little Britain was 'comedy' of it's era and is not relevant to today and I can understand the BBC's decision. A bit like In Sickness and in Health and Til Death Do Us Part. Throw in Benny Hill too.

But I have to question whether they are looking extensively at all of their comedy archives. For example, will the likes of 'Goodness Gracious Me' also be consigned to the same treatment? 'Going for an English' was perhaps one of their most famous sketches and could (perhaps should) be considered by today's standards to also not be PC. Personally, it never offended me in any way but some might find it so.

How many other comedies of the past could be looked upon in the same way? Is Dad's Army likely to be seen as offensive now? Open All Hours? Monty Python? Carry On films?

Not sure that comedy from the past can be regarded as ' not relevant to today ' Where do we draw the line? Do we dismiss most of the history of comedy because it is risque? Do we disregard the ' Chaplin/Keaton era...the Music Hall era....do we dismiss any joke that starts.....' an Englishman, Irishman, Scotsman etc '.......or ' Paddy walks into a bar '......do we disregard the first recognised black comedian Charlie Williams, who inspired many other black artists and whose material would offend many today.
Failing to recognise reference points from the past denies succeeding generations the opportunity to learn and develop.
Before George Floyd was murdered, I didn't hear calls for Little Britain to be taken off air. Why not ask the black community what they thought about Little Britain or Till Death us Do Part or Love thy Neighbour or Rising Damp or the asian community about Goodness Gracious Me. The answers might surprise many.

 

[Lenny Rider]

Whatever you think of Lucas and Walliams and their distinct brand of comedy, where will this all end?

It was Xmas night 2010 when Come Fly With Me premiered on BBC1, it had clearly gone through all the development meetings, compliance, censors etc, I bet no one at the Beeb back then could have imagined that within a decade it would effectively be banned?

 

[Pierre the Painter]

Whatever you think of Lucas and Walliams and their distinct brand of comedy, where will this all end?

It was Xmas night 2010 when Come Fly With Me premiered on BBC1, it had clearly gone through all the development meetings, compliance, censors etc, I bet no one at the Beeb back then could have imagined that within a decade it would effectively be banned?

Nor was it met with a flood of complaints, the BBC does more than most to guage public opinion on its content it even has a weekly show which discects viewers comments good and bad. If people weren't offended by it then why suddenly 10 years later has it become offensive?? Who are actually offended, black people or people who want to be offended on their behalf?

 

[Is it PotG?]

Gone With the Wind axed too.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/10/media/gone-with-the-wind-hbo-max/index.html

I wonder what will be next?

 

[portslade seagull]

Quite a few pre 2000 sit coms will be offensive now. The list of axed shows will be rather long

 

[LlcoolJ]

Total bollocks. No to censorship. Pointless anyway as anyone can watch anything ever because internet. So just a stupid publicity stunt which has massively backfired on whichever idiot thought of it. Apart from that, nice work BBC!

 

[Badger Boy]

If it's racist and/or offensive, it will be removed. And rightly so. It's about time the standard of expectation was set higher. Cheap laughs at ethnic minorities was always lazy, unfunny and needlessly offensive.

The classics are unaffected, the only shows which will be pulled are the rubbish anyway. Porridge (the original series) won't be going anywhere, for example.

 

[Dr Q]

A little bit knee-jerk by BBC etc, but understandable given media/social pressure and the BBC's general agenda.

Still, no one forces anyone to watch anything, if you don't want to see it, don't turn it on. I don't think there was any animosity intended with the 'humour' although a lot of it was/is pretty cr@p.

Watching 'It ain't alf hot mum' and Carry on up the Kyhber as a kid, didn't turn me into a racist!

 

[jakarta]

A little bit knee-jerk by BBC etc, but understandable given media/social pressure and the BBC's general agenda.

Still, no one forces anyone to watch anything, if you don't want to see it, don't turn it on. I don't think there was any animosity intended with the 'humour' although a lot of it was/is pretty cr@p.

Watching 'It ain't alf hot mum' and Carry on up the Kyhber as a kid, didn't turn me into a racist!

The ironic thing about It Ain't Half Hot Mum was that the Asian Characters were not mocked, it was quite clear that it was the British, especially the Officers that were the ridiculous ones...

 

[Steve in Japan]

If it's racist and/or offensive, it will be removed. And rightly so. It's about time the standard of expectation was set higher. Cheap laughs at ethnic minorities was always lazy, unfunny and needlessly offensive.

The classics are unaffected, the only shows which will be pulled are the rubbish anyway. Porridge (the original series) won't be going anywhere, for example.

It's a very dull comedy that offends no-one, to be honest.

 

[wellquickwoody]

I find it highly amusing in itself that what was possibly the most eagerly awaited programme each week back in the early noughties, is now derided by most as poor, cheap, not very funny etc etc. I found it OK to be honest, not a patch on Ronnie Barker, but OK nonetheless.

Amazing how fashion changes, be it music being the defining ingredient, or clothing brands, or now how much virtue signalling one can do.

 

[Arthur]

I find Miranda highly offensive. Can they pull that as well?

BBC showing what true lefty pinkos they really are.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

Watching 'It ain't alf hot mum' and Carry on up the Kyhber as a kid, didn't turn me into a racist!

Maybe it did not for you and many others, but it fanned the flames and made it acceptable to laugh at others, and even justified racism in portraying certain races as inferior. I remember watching it ain't arf hot mum with my gran who i livid with at the time laughing her head off, and in turn because she was laughing I did, she thought it was accurate and pointed out that the wisest person in the show was always the punkah wallah, Rumzan.

She was brought up in Burma and a god fearing christian and married my grandad who was a missionary/ priest in Rangoon at the start of war. Her father and brother fought in Burma and fought along side the Gurkhas and Chindits, she often commented on the influx of Indians during the 70s and it affected me as a young boy, even then I could not understand why she had a problem with them.

You may say she was an out and out racist now, but I think she was a product of her time, being brought up in Burma with local ethnic servents. She as I said was a vicars wife and helped at the church, did missionary work here, Burma and America, the stupid old cliche, she had black friends who she laughed so hard with playing cards so none of it made sense when she went off on a tangent. I still miss her and love her so much, so please don't be to hard, because it eventually taught me, that the church is just a crux and prompt in life, about how to live, be forgiving, you don't need a god, to tell you to be good, racisim does not make any sense, we are all equal, especially in my teenage years, when I met real racists, who were very, very bad people C18, White Wolves, I could see what they were doing, I saw through the stupidity of it all, was a scared of them, yes, did they try and indoctrinate me, yes, did I fall for it, yes kind of briefly, I went to a gig, just because several of my friends went, and before we went, the lead recruiter took his dog to a neighbour a black man for him to take for a walk, and look after for the night....

I asked him why did he leave his dog with him, he explained that the man was ok, and understood what he stood for and agreed with his political views !!! Eh that did not make sense, the gig was horrible, numbskulls everywhere, weapons and guns, there were even Italians there, I thought they were supposed to be the enemy according to his propaganda they were not pure.... None of it added up, me and my friend had a chat and left, we avoided the man for several months and eventually I moved back down south. That was the end of it for me, I never beat anyone up, I never went on a march, I never shouted racist abuse at anyone, I did think I was better, I did think laugh at racist jokes, I did meet other racists. A few years later the man who tried to get us on board claimed responsibility for the nail bomb attacks, he now lives in America and lives with right wing groups out there.

I am ashamed of my past, but feel I had to go through it, to see it was all total shit.
I could see it started from an early age, I was a product of my time, I was influenced unwittingly and on purpose, I had no father, or mother, i lived in a foster home, after my gran became ill, I was easy prey for the right wing. now I judge everyone as I find them.
Having said that I am proud of who I am now, and I can see why other people are proud of who they are and respect all cultures and races. I judge everyone as I find them now, and hopefully the most important thing is make sure my daughter respects everyone and never ever falls for racist propaganda.

Man I have said to much, but I don't care I know who I am, & what I have done.

So back to your point, it may have not changed you, but it did not help me....

 

[Live by the sea]

The whole point of multiculturalism is that we are all different. I think we should be able to laugh at our differences as long as it is done in a friendly way .

I do accept you clearly had a very tough upbringing and I’m sure that effected you . We are all adults however , and surely it should be up to us to understand the difference between gentle humour and nastiness.

Because someone disagrees with the whole Guardian type PC culture doesn’t make them racist , often it just means they are an adult and understand the difference between kind and unkind without being told by the establishment.

 

[Lenny Rider]

Will they now pull the Porridge episode where Fletch and co get caught in the coal cellar and Mackay sends down a coal delivery, they all come out with black faces and Mackay says "Welcome to the Black and White Minstrel Show?"

I'm surprised one of the Trans lobby haven't raised issues about Mrs Brown's Boys?

 

[Baker lite]

Will they now pull the Porridge episode where Fletch and co get caught in the coal cellar and Mackay sends down a coal delivery, they all come out with black faces and Mackay says "Welcome to the Black and White Minstrel Show?"

I'm surprised one of the Trans lobby haven't raise issues about Mrs Brown's Boys?

I think Fawlty towers may be on borrowed time, surely the professionally offended have that on the radar.

 

[Palacefinder General]

Dinosaurs everywhere. NSC - the place that time forgot.

 

[Seasidesage]

Citizens of Earth; "Stop murdering black people"!!!

BBC; "uhmm, hmmm, uhhmm, could take some unfunny people off our back catalogue, how's that"?

This!!!

A serious political and moral viewpoint is being watered down by a load of virtue signalling snowflakes. I'm not and never was a big fan of Little Britain so I didn't watch it? Others may wish to do the same.

Try dealing with the real issues and not this totally superfluous crap. We are moving towards book burning led by middle class snowflakes who are desperate to show that they get it...

 

[southstandandy]

Will they now pull the Porridge episode where Fletch and co get caught in the coal cellar and Mackay sends down a coal delivery, they all come out with black faces and Mackay says "Welcome to the Black and White Minstrel Show?"

I'm surprised one of the Trans lobby haven't raised issues about Mrs Brown's Boys?

Apparently the Beeb are now looking at 'other' programmes from their catalogue due to supposedly a large number of complaints in the last few days. Suspect that Porridge, Fool & Horses, It Ain't half hot mum , Fawlty Towers and many many others will be removed from i player and associated services at this rate. Sad but on the back of the Little Britain removal it seems highly likely. Glad I have Porridge and Fools & Horses on dvd.