Two decades since its initial broadcast, a polarizing BBC comedy series is set to make its terrestrial TV return.
Iconic show Little Britain is slated for a revival on the airwaves during the Christmas season, featuring as a highlight in That’s TV’s holiday programming. The network has announced plans to air all three seasons of the show, which originally premiered in 2003.
Scheduled for nightly broadcasts, the series will kick off on Saturday, 16 December, at 9.05 pm. Creators David Walliams and Matt Lucas crafted the show as a sketch series, showcasing a variety of quirky British characters. The duo faced criticism for their depiction of certain characters on the show.
READ MORE: BBC ‘pulls funding from new David Walliams project’ after controversial BGT axe
READ MORE: Want more showbiz? Daily Star has just the thing for you!
Their use of blackface and other contentious humor led to the BBC and Netflix removing the series from their platforms. However, the show has been reinstated on BBC, now excluding characters like Ting Tong Macadangdang, portrayed by Matt, and Pastor Jesse King and Desiree DeVere, roles that involved David in blackface.
Speaking about airing the hit comedy, Kris Vaiksalu said: “Tis the season to be jolly and to spread warmth and laughter. This year we are especially excited to be showcasing the comedy genius of Matt Lucas and David Walliams to mark 20 years since the launch of Little Britain.”
(Image: BBC)
He went on to say that she show launched the pair into spotlight as “Gods of comedy”. “When the show hit the screens 20 years ago it quickly became a cultural phenomenon and made Lucas and Walliams into comedy Gods. On this anniversary, it’s extra special for us to be able to show Little Britain every night as part of our Christmas week comedy festival.
“It’s a special time of year and we’re looking to spread the cheer with more Christmas comedy specials than we’ve ever shown before.” Speaking about his time on the show, Matt Lucas said back in 2017: “If I could go back and do Little Britain again, I wouldn’t make those jokes about transvestites. I wouldn’t play black characters.
(Image: PA)
“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.” This comes after Peter Kay came to the defence of of Matt Lucas and David Walliams, saying that ‘everybody’s a critic on social media’.
The comedian opened up about the series in his new book TV: Big Adventures on the Small Screen, in which he called criticism of the show a ‘shame’. “Sadly, Matt and David have taken a lot of flak in the past few years for the work they did. I think that’s a shame.”
For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
