Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
National
James Moncur

Matt Lucas and David Walliams apologise for 'playing characters of other races' in Little Britain

Matt Lucas and David Walliams have apologised for "playing characters of other races" in Little Britain.

The series has come under fire recently because of the use of blackface make-up in some sketches.

It was removed from Netflix, BBC iPlayer and BritBox in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests around the world following the death of George Floyd in the US.

Lucas and Walliams posted a joint statement on Twitter on Saturday evening.

David Walliams used black make-up and a big wig to play Desiree DeVere (BBC)

Walliams said: "Matt & I have both spoken publicly in recent years of our regret that we played characters of other races.

"Once again we want to make it clear that it was wrong & we are very sorry."

In the series, Walliams sported black make-up and a large afro wig to play the overweight black woman Desiree DeVere.

Lucas also used blackface to play Pastor Jesse King, who said he was "from the ghetto" and spoke in tongues to cure the sick.

Lucas previously said he has regrets about Little Britain, describing the comedy as "cruel".

He told The Big Issue: "If I could go back and do Little Britain again, I wouldn't make those jokes about transvestites. I wouldn't play black characters.

"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.

David Walliams and Matt Lucas regularly used blackface make-up in Little Britain. (Daily Mirror)

"Society has moved on a lot since then and my own views have evolved. There was no bad intent there - the only thing you could accuse us of was greed. We just wanted to show off about what a diverse bunch of people we could play.

"Now I think it's lazy for white people to get a laugh just by playing black characters. My aim is to entertain, I don't have any other agenda."

Earlier this year, the pair revisited Little Britain for BBC One's Big Night In charity programme, reprising their roles as a number of the show's famous characters including Lou and Andy, Daffyd, Marjorie Dawes and Sebastian while wearing makeshift costumes.

Leigh Francis issued an emotional apology over his portrayal of black people on his show Bo' Selecta (Twitter)

In the wake of recent Black Lives Matter protests, stars including Ant and Dec and Leigh Francis have apologised for portraying black people on TV.

Bo' Selecta, which impersonated black stars such as Craig David, Trisha Goddard and Michael Jackson has been removed from All 4 after creator Francis recently issued a tearful apology. It is, however, still available on Prime Video.

In recent days The Mighty Boosh and The League Of Gentlemen were also removed from streaming services.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.