Anti-Racism Debate on UK TV Shows

The impact of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis is reverberating across the world. In the entertainment industry, the incident and subsequent movement are compelling broadcasters in many countries to reassess available content for racially insensitive material. In the UK, an episode of the 1975 comedy sitcom “Fawlty Towers” was temporarily removed from BBC owned UKTV’s streaming service as it contains offensive racist language. Scenes show an exchange between characters Major Gowen and his female friend where they refer to Indians using the ‘N-word.’

In a statement , UKTV said “The episode contains racial slurs so we are taking the episode down while we review it. We regularly review older content to ensure it meets audience expectations and are particularly aware of the impact of outdated language. Some shows carry warnings and others are edited. We want to take time to consider our options for this episode.”

John Cleese, who plays Basil Fawlty in the series has slammed the move as “cowardly and gutless” and accused the BBC of trying to appease a few people. In a statement on Twitter he said “I would have hoped that someone at the BBC would understand that there are two ways of making fun of human behavior. One is to attack it directly. The other is to have someone who is patently a figure of fun, speak up on behalf of that behavior.”

The episode remains available on other streaming platforms like Britbox, also partly owned by the BBC with the guidance of “contains some offensive racial language of the time and upsetting scenes” and Netflix where it carries the warning “Language, discrimination.”

Another popular British comedy “Little Britain,” released on television in 2003, was removed from the iPlayer and Britbox platforms by the BBC due to the spotlight on racism. The show contains parodies of everyday life in Britain and has long received criticism for its portrayal of black and Asian characters by using blackface – a concept where nonblack actors use dark makeup to represent a caricature of a black person.

Creators of the show, Matt Lucas and David Walliams have publicly apologized and expressed regret for doing roles in which they played characters of other races using blackface. “Come Fly with Me” – a mockumentary series created by the duo that released in 2010 has also been taken off Britbox and BBC iPlayer for its use of dark makeup by white protagonists.

Netflix meanwhile, has removed “Little Britain” and “Come Fly With Me” from their list of catalogue offerings in addition to other British comedies like “The League of Gentlemen” and “The Mighty Boosh.” Netflix has not commented on cutting these shows, or if they will be available in the future. It is assumed this was done for the reasons of white actors essaying roles of people of color.

In contrast, ‘’The League of Gentlemen’’ and ‘’The Mighty Boosh’’ remain available on BBC iPlayer with the BBC director general Tony Hall stating “We are constantly assessing whether things feel appropriate. Using art, film, comedy, whatever, to help put context on the way that people thought, the way they behaved, and make that come to light now, and help us with the issues we’re currently dealing with, I think is really important. We all need that context and we need that history.”

‘‘Saturday Night Takeaway,’’ the British comedy where creators Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly impersonate people of color using dark makeup and prosthetics to prank celebrities. McPartlin and Donnelly requested the broadcaster ITV pull the show from its offerings.

Netflix and BBC in a bid to act swiftly in the wake of the George Floyd incident, remain at odds on which shows to censor. Conversely, actors such as John Cleese believe that satirical shows tackle racism rather than promote it and should not be subjected to censorship. The decision by streaming services to remove material featuring racist depictions, though haphazard, is generally welcomed by artists of color in a number of countries including Australia . However, many also think it is ultimately a simple move that should not preclude the services from the more meaningful work of investing in additional diverse stories.