BBC iPlayer adds warnings to classic comedies removed from Netflix

2 July 2020, 12:52 | Updated: 2 July 2020, 12:59

Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith at the League of Gentlemen stage show in 2001 — League of Gentlemen is one of the comedies that has been given a new warning. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Archive/PA Images

According to reports, the likes of The League of Gentlemen and Mighty Boosh have been kept on by the streaming service with new warnings.

The BBC have introduced warnings on some of the classic comedies featured on iPlayer.

Last month saw streaming service Netflix remove certain shows such as The Mighty Boosh and The League of Gentlemen from their offering, due to the use of blackface amid the Black Lives Matter Movement.

While the BBC did previously remove the likes of Little Britain and Come Fly With Me, they have now made the move to add pop-ups to programmes that may be deemed offensive.

As reported by The Independent, the streaming site has added warnings to the classic comedies, which notes each show “reflects the broadcast standards, language and attitudes of its time”, and that “some viewers may find this content offensive."

BBC iPlayer has added warnings to classic comedies such as The Mighty Boosh — The Mighty Boosh has recently been removed from Netflix's streaming platform. Picture: Shutterstock

Meanwhile, this week Channel 4 removed a scene containing blackface from a 2004 episode of Peep Show.

A spokesperson for the broadcaster told Newsweek: "We understand the strong feelings provoked by some of this content but we do not believe that erasing our creative history is a quick fix for the issues affecting our society today.

"Channel 4 is committed to inclusion and diversity and opposes discrimination in any form and therefore, having reflected deeply on this subject, we are undertaking a review of the principles governing how we handle historic programmes across our platforms."

Speaking about the scene to Vice back in 2015, Robert Webb - who plays Jez in the hit Channel 4 sitcom - mused: "The episode where I wear blackface is the first thing that comes to mind, but the whole comedy of that scene is that [Jez] is very, very worried about this, and it's Nancy's [his then-girlfriend] craziness and blithe... she's just a bit f****** stupid."

He added: "She's a self-conscious taboo breaker, so she's very aware of the taboo, whereas Jez is coming at it from a more sensible angle, that is, 'Let's not do this taboo.' With any kind of jokes in sensitive areas, you have to ask yourself, 'What is this joke doing? Whose side is this joke on? How is it going to be misinterpreted and will they have a point if they misinterpret it?' Those are the kind of things you have to ask."