Little Britain sketch is ‘explicitly racist and outdated’ says Ofcom report
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The scene, which is still available to watch on BBC iPlayer, shows David Walliams as university employee Linda Flint describing an Asian student, Kenneth Lao, over the phone to her manager.
The regulator showed people several television clips television as part of a study into audience expectations on potentially offensive content across linear TV and streaming services.
Little Britain sketch found to be ‘not acceptable for linear TV’ according to Ofcom research
David & @RealMattLucas pic.twitter.com/YopE5K2twZ
— David Walliams HQ (@davidwalliams) October 26, 2023
The research participants, who were questioned by polling company Ipsos, viewed the Little Britain content as “explicitly racist and outdated, and felt that society had moved on”, the report said.
It added: “A few participants said they found it funny but seemed embarrassed to say this and could recognise why it would be offensive.
“This content was not considered acceptable for linear TV and many were surprised that it was available on BBC iPlayer.
“Others thought a VoD (video on demand) platform was appropriate because it meant viewers could have the choice about whether to watch the content or not.
“However, they did not think the current rating was enough, wanting a warning about the racist language and an explanation for why it was still accessible. For some, the content was considered too problematic, even for VoD.”
The report continued to say: “The clip was considered less acceptable because the participants felt it was purposely offensive in stereotyping and targeting an ethnic minority group for comedy purposes.
“Some reasoned that it was important to still show this content to reflect the beliefs of society at the time.
“However, there were concerns that it could normalise racist behaviours which could be repeated by young children.”
The sketch currently features a warning before a viewer clicks on the show, reading: “Contains adult humour. Contains discriminatory language.”
It comes as episodes of Little Britain, starring Walliams and Matt Lucas, have previously been removed from streaming services following criticism due to other potential racism.
A BBC spokesperson said: “All jokes in our output are judged on context and intent.
“The sketches in which the character Linda Flint makes reference to the appearance or race of a series of people are intended to expose and ridicule some of the outdated prejudices and racism that still exist in parts of British society, which is more apparent when viewing the sketches within the context of a full episode, and across the series as a whole.
“The programme is part of the BBC’s comedy archive and information is provided for iPlayer viewers about the inclusion of discriminatory language.”
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