Renewed criticism over the use of blackface has prompted streaming services to remove some shows from their archives.
In the light of Black Lives Matter protests around the world, Netflix has taken a stand against blackface in series like Little Britain and The Mighty Boosh.
The decision comes after US streaming service HBO Max announced this week that it had removed the film Gone With The Wind from its library over “racist depictions” of black people, explaining that “to keep this title up without an explanation and a denouncement of those depictions would be irresponsible.”
Presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have also apologised for using blackface in sketches that aired in Saturday Night Takeaway.
Here are the programmes that are no longer available to stream due to actors using blackface.
Little Britain
David Walliams and Matt Lucas’ controversial comedy has been removed from Netflix, BBC iPlayer and BritBox after facing renewed criticism for the use of blackface in some sketches.
“There’s a lot of historical programming available on BBC iPlayer which we regularly review,” a BBC spokesperson said of the series, which first aired on BBC Three in 2003.
"Times have changed since Little Britain first aired, so it is not currently available on BBC iPlayer.”
Speaking in 2017, Lucas admitted that he would do things differently now as his views have “evolved.”
“If I could go back and do Little Britain again, I wouldn’t make those jokes about transvestites," he said. "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.
“Society has moved on a lot since then and my own views have evolved.”
The League Of Gentlemen
Netflix has removed The League Of Gentlemen, which starred Reese Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton and Mark Gatiss, from its library.
Shearsmith played Papa Lazarou, a circus ringmaster, wearing blackface. The character had long been the focus of criticism, though Shearsmith has claimed that Lazarou was not supposed to be a black man.
Three series of the show are still streaming on BBC iPlayer and the broadcaster confirmed to The Guardian that there are currently no plans to remove the series from the site.
The Mighty Boosh
Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt’s comedy, which aired between 2004 and 2007, is no longer available to stream on Netflix.
The series featured a character called The Spirit Of Jazz, supposed to be the ghost of a fictional jazz musician, which was played by Fielding wearing blackface.
The Mighty Boosh was still available to stream on BBC iPlayer at the time of writing.
Bo’ Selecta
After creator Leigh Francis apologised for impersonating black celebrities including Craig David and Trisha Goddard on his Noughties comedy series, Bo’ Selecta was removed from Channel 4’s streaming platform All4.
“We support Leigh in his decision to reflect on Bo’ Selecta in light of recent events and we’ve agreed with him to remove the show from the All 4 archive,” a statement from the broadcaster said.
Francis’ apology came after TV presenter Goddard contacted him about his use of blackface on the show when she saw that he had posted a black square on social media in support of Blackout Tuesday.
She told The Sun that Francis’ caricatures had left her feeling “hurt” and filled with “distaste and disgust.”
