Good Morning Britain star Adil Ray has claimed his hit BBC sitcom Citizen Khan wouldn’t be commissioned today amid debate that comedy has become “too woke”.
The telly host led a debate on the ITV breakfast show this morning about the current state of British comedy, following claims from Joanna Lumley that Absolutely Fabulous wouldn’t be given the green light today.
Adil wrote and starred in the series, based around a loud-mouthed Pakistani patriarch and his long-suffering family as they adjust to life in East Birmingham.
Speaking to co-host Susanna Reid, he said that the stereotypes used within the series would draw criticism today.
“I think we probably can't [do it now], and this was only what will be 10 years next year, since the first episode. It ran for five years,” he said.
“I don't think they'd commission it in that and we are talking to BBC about doing a special, and I think there's going to be some conversations about what we can do.”
“I mean, the thing is, there is this sort of rule in comedy that I've always been brought up with, that you can actually make a joke about absolutely anything and that can be quite difficult at times and can be quite sensitive,” he added.
“But you can make a joke about absolutely anything if the intention is right, and if the intention is just to make people laugh or I think in my case it was a show of bringing communities together and universalizing a disenfranchised community, then that is absolutely fine and that's my intention.
“And I can't be concerned about what your perception is or what your, how you receive my comedy otherwise I would never be able to write anything.”
Even when the show launched in 2012, the series faced criticism for its stereotypes of British-Pakistani families and representation.
It sparked more than 200 complaints and was accused of mocking the Islamic faith and being disrespectful to the Qur’an.
In 2015, Adil responded to the hatred against the show, which included death threats, and told The Guardian : "There was something my mum taught me when I was younger: 'Don't allow yourself to be offended about anything in life.'
"I remember the first time I got called 'Paki' at school and I went home and told my mum and she said: 'So what, what's that done to you? It doesn't matter, just get back into school.' And she was so right."
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV.
