Little Britain has returned to iPlayer after the BBC axed the sketch show in the light of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.
Matt Lucas and David Walliams’ comedy came under fire over its regular use of ‘blackface’ make-up but was eventually axed from iPlayer, Britbox and Netflix altogether.
In the series, David frequently wore black make-up and a large afro wig to play the overweight black woman Desiree DeVere.
Matt also used blackface to play Pastor Jesse King, who said he was ‘from the ghetto’ and spoke in tongues to cure the sick.
However, ahead of the pair’s return to television for Comic Relief this Friday, the BBC has made edits to the programme.
In a statement, the broadcaster said: ‘Little Britain has been made available to fans on BBC iPlayer following edits made to the series by Matt and David that better reflect the changes in the cultural landscape over the last 20 years since the show was first made.’
Both Matt and David apologised over the use of blackface in their show, which started as a radio comedy in 2000 before launching on BBC Three.
In a joint statement in June 2020, they said: ‘Once again we want to make it clear that it was wrong; we are very sorry.’
Matt also said he had many regrets about Little Britain, admitting it was ‘cruel’.
‘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,’ he told Big Issue.
Little Britain is now available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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