On Wednesday, Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly - two high-profile presenters of British reality TV - posted an apology on social media for “impersonating” people of color in order to prank other celebrities on their show “Saturday Night Takeaway.” Yashere said she had spent her school years being mocked with references to the “Black and White Minstrel Show.” “These are the things you put up with because of blackface, because we were dehumanized and made to look stupid,” she added. “Those types of stereotypes make life hell for people, and kids suffer terribly at school because of it.” “It was simply generic nonsense,” Vidal said, adding that people often talk to her with “fake” West Indian accents. She pointed to the impersonation of Goddard, saying it also included a Jamaican accent.
In Britain, blackface has promoted “harmful stereotypes that are often not even based in truth,” she said. “You’ve got to let black people and people of color decide what racism is,” she added. “I think it’s so ingrained,” she said, “people don’t even realize what’s going on.” (“The League of Gentlemen” and “The Mighty Boosh” are still available to stream on the BBC’s platform.)Īva Vidal, a British comedian, said in a telephone interview that she had never been surprised about the use of blackface in these shows. Noel Fielding, who is also a host of “The Great British Baking Show,” appeared as a character called The Spirit of Jazz in one “Mighty Boosh” sketch, wearing dreadlocks and blackface. On Wednesday, Netflix removed the surreal comedy shows “The League of Gentlemen” and “The Mighty Boosh” from its platforms. The pair both also played minority characters in their follow-up BBC show from 2010, “Come Fly With Me,” which was not available for streaming.Įarlier this year, Lucas was appointed a host of “The Great British Baking Show.” “Times have changed since ‘Little Britain’ first aired,” a BBC spokesman said in an emailed statement. On Tuesday, the BBC removed “Little Britain,” a sketch show created by David Walliams and Matt Lucas that aired from 2003-05, from its streaming service because it featured Walliams playing an obese black woman in a sauna. Some of the shows pulled from streaming services were made by household names here. It’s always in comedy and it’s always sending up black people.” “They say, ‘Oh it’s just us playing characters,’” Yashere added.
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