LITTLE Britain is FINALLY making its return to BBC iPlayer – but with a number of changes to “reflect the cultural landscape”.
Last year, the hit comedy – written by Matt Lucas and David Walliams – was removed from the streaming service over blackface controversy.
BBC iPlayer decided to remove all evidence of the show, as well as Come Fly With Me, amid the Black Lives Matter protests.
The broadcaster confirmed the TV show had been removed indefinitely as they hit out that “times had changed”.
Now, Little Britain has finally returned to the online streaming service, but with some major changes to what’s seen in episodes.
TV critic Scott Bryan took to Twitter to break the news, detailing that creators Matt, 48, and David, 50, had “made edits”.
A BBC spokesperson 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 twenty years since the show was first made.”
It appears that Desiree DeVere had been edited out of the show, leaving characters including Emily Howard, Vicky Pollard, Andy and Anne.
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A warning message also appears before some episodes, letting viewers know there could be “discriminatory language”.
In comedy show Little Britain – which aired from 2003 to 2007 – Walliams wore blackface make up to play spa guest Desiree DeVere.
The BBC removed the show from their streaming services following the Black Lives Matter movement across the world.
A BBC spokesman explained of the decision to remove the show: “There’s a lot of historical programming available on BBC iPlayer, which we regularly review.
“Times have changed since Little Britain first aired so it is not currently available on BBC iPlayer.”
David and his co-writer Matt apologised for their use of blackface in their sketch show, taking to Twitter at the time to express regret.
“David and I have both spoken publicly in recent years of our regret that we played characters of other races,” Matt tweeted.
“Once again we want to make clear that it was wrong and we are sorry.”
The comedians were not alone in apologising for their use of discriminatory language and depictions of race in their shows.
Leigh Francis, who plays TV host Keith Lemon, made a tearful apology to talk show host Trisha Goddard following a social media blackout.
The comedian, who wore rubber masks to play stars in his show Bo’ Selecta, from 2002 to 2004, was confronted by Trisha, one of the black celebs he lampooned along with Craig David and Mel B.
Leigh, 47, sent a private apology to Trisha and in an emotional Instagram video said: “I didn’t realise how offensive it was.
“I just want to say sorry for any upset I caused whether I was Michael Jackson, Craig David, Trisha Goddard.”
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