EXCLUSIVE: Netflix and the BBC were in lockstep over the decision to remove episodes of Little Britain from their libraries after the British comedy featured blackface sketches, but differences of views are emerging over other shows.
In the heat of the Black Lives Matter movement, Deadline can reveal that Netflix has removed four shows from controversial Australian comedian Chris Lilley from its services in Australia and New Zealand.
Angry Boys, Summer Heights High, We Can Be Heroes, and Jonah From Tonga have all been taken down after featuring characters that have in the past sparked questions over racial discrimination. The shows were originally made by Australian producer Princess Pictures for the ABC.
Related Stories
Angry Boys features blackface character S.mouse, while Summer Heights High and Jonah From Tonga include Jonah Takalua, for which Lilley wore brown makeup. In We Can Be Heroes, Lilley plays Chinese physics student Ricky Wong.
Watch on Deadline
Lilley’s other series, Ja’mie Private School Girl and Netflix original Lunatics, will remain on the service. The latter features a South African character called Jana, which raised further questions about blackface, but producer Laura Walters has previously said that Lilley is “not portraying a woman of colour.”
Netflix declined to comment on the Lilley decision. The BBC, meanwhile, has taken a different view, saying its decision on Little Britain impacts Little Britain alone. It means Summer Heights High and We Can Be Heroes will remain on its streaming service iPlayer.
It also means that standalone Angry Boys clips, featuring rapper S.mouse, will also remain on youth service BBC Three’s website. There are 10 clips of S.mouse, including a music video in which Lilley repeatedly uses the n-word. In another sketch, S.mouse raps about his “big black balls.”
Deadline has contacted Lilley’s representative for comment. While promoting Lunatics last year, Lilley defended his characters, saying he tries to write “clever, layered” creations. He said: “When you meet them, you think, ‘I know that type of person’ but then there is a twist, something crazy… [In] the end you think, ‘Actually, I kinda relate to this.'”
Separately to the Lilley shows, Netflix has also removed British comedy The League Of Gentlemen from its library after it featured the blackface character Papa Lazarou. The League Of Gentlemen remains on iPlayer. It was made by the BBC.
If this was too offensive…. White Chick should be a banned movie
I know black face is offensive- but I loved Chris Lilly’s characters. I started watching Angry Boys when it first can out, then I went back and watched Summer Heights High, and so forth. I’m black and I wasn’t offended. It’s probably wrong of me to say it was done tastefully, but I feel as though it was and it wasn’t offensive, I didn’t feel offended. I enjoyed his portrayal and his work in general. Hopefully once today’s social climate calms down these shows will be made available again.
First off, I don’t think any of those should be removed because it’s all comedy imo and part of comedy is being not PC. But if we’re being thorough what about his Asian characters, what about Jen Okazaki from Angry Boys? And if we’re really being thorough what about Robert Downey Jr.’s character in Tropic Thunder? And I agree, might as well remove White Chicks as well. I’m sure I could think of a million other examples. Actually, why don’t we go through half of the stand-up comedy that’s out there and cancel all that too? And technically should we be making fun of mentally disabled people either? Probably not if we’re playing the PC police so why not go ahead remove Ricky Gervais’ show “Derek”. smh.
Yes well let’s face it; perhaps if we just remove all humans from the face of the earth then we can’t offend each other anymore. It’s called an apocalypse and it makes Corona look like a non alcoholic beverage. To all the wankers who are offended by their own reflections in the mirror; you just need to be strapped to a chair and forced to watch every episode of the Carry On Franchise, On the Busses, anything with Sydney James, Benny Hill, etc. If you can’t laugh at yourself and everyone else then you are better off fertilising the ground than offering poxy opinions about what’s offensive. Personally I find ugly fat obnoxious men destroying their own countries and shooting their citizens to be “culturally insensitive”. But what would I know? I’m just an over 50 autistic female of questionable genetics going through menopause and angry. So let’s all attack the artists who are trying to lighten up the mood, humour will be stuffed into a time capsule for future kiddies to marvel at.
All these shows were available on HBO for years.
These shows were all on HBO for years.