Fresh apology over blackface characters

Matt Lucas and David Walliams have issued a fresh apology for using blackface in Little Britain.

The pair broke their silence after a turbulent week in which their breakthrough sketch show was pulled from Netflix, Britbox and BBC iPlayer over their portrayal of black characters.

In identical tweets published at the exact same time, they said either ‘Matt’ or ‘David’ … ‘and I have both spoken publicly in recent years of our regret that we played characters of other races. Once again we want to make it clear that it was wrong and we are very sorry.’

David and I have both spoken publicly in recent years of our regret that we played characters of other races. Once again we want to make it clear that it was wrong and we are very sorry.

— realmattlucas (@RealMattLucas) June 13, 2020

In Little Britain, Walliams blacked up in a fat suit to play the outrageous socialite Desiree de Vere, and Matt Lucas played Thai bride Ting Tong.

When the British broadcasters took the show off their streaming platforms, they issued a statement saying: ‘Times have changed since Little Britain first aired so it is not currently available.’

Netflix also dropped Lucas and Walliams’ follow-up Come Fly With Me, which had not been available on iPlayer.

In that 2010 show, set in an airport, Lucas played Jamaican coffee shop worker Precious Little and Taaj, a dim ground crew worker of Pakistani descent, while Walliams played Middle Eastern passenger liaison officer Moses and airline boss Omar Baba. Both also played Japanese schoolgirls.

Lucas previously said of Little Britain: '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.'

Netflix has also pulled episodes of The League Of Gentleman and the Mighty Boosh, while UKTV has removed an episode of Fawlty Towers that used strongly racist language, vowing to return it with a note putting the controversial scene into historical context.

Published: 13 Jun 2020