Little Britain pulled from Netflix, iPlayer over blackface criticism

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief | 09 June 2020

Little Britain is pulled from Netflix, BBC iPlayer and BritBox after criticism of its 'blackface' characters.

Little Britain has been withdrawn from Netflix, BBC iPlayer and BritBox following criticism of its 'blackface' characters.

The comedy sketch show featured Matt Lucas and David Walliams portraying a number of different characters, some of which - including Desiree DeVere, Mr T and The Minstrels - required them to 'black up' for the part.

In the light of the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement after the death of George Floyd, many had called for Little Britain and shows of similar ilk to be pulled from the air - and the major streaming services appear to have responded accordingly.

Netflix has also removed Lucas and Walliams's series Come Fly With Me, which saw Lucas 'black up' to play the part of a lazy coffee stall worker called Precious Little.

Recent reports suggested that Netflix had been in talks with the comedy duo about bringing back Little Britain for a new series, although the latest development appears to have thrown the potential revival into doubt.

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