The BBC has withdrawn nearly a dozen comedy sketches from the reissue of That Mitchell and Webb Look on its iPlayer streaming service. The Bafta-winning program, created by and starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb, originally aired for four series between 2006 and 2010. The show was made available on iPlayer recently to commemorate its 20th anniversary, but 11 segments were subsequently removed from the platform.
According to reporting, the withdrawn material included sequences depicting the performers in blackface as war re-enactors, a sketch involving a burka-wearing contestant on a makeover program, and another segment set in a garden centre. A BBC representative justified the decision by stating the corporation consulted with the program’s creators and retained only the sketches considered relevant to modern audiences. The corporation declined to specify which particular sketches were deemed problematic or provide detailed rationales for individual removals.
The decision prompted varied responses from entertainment industry figures. Comedian Dom Joly expressed concerns about the BBC engaging in self-censorship, acknowledging that while genuinely racist content warrants removal, Mitchell and Webb’s satirical intent appeared clear. Jimmy Mulville, co-founder of Hat Trick Productions, characterized the BBC as facing a difficult situation while cautioning against an incremental approach to removing older material.
The removal reflects a broader pattern in the entertainment industry, with several comedy programs reassessing their catalogs in light of evolving social perspectives. Little Britain, the sketch series featuring Matt Lucas and David Walliams, was removed from multiple streaming platforms in 2020 over concerns regarding character portrayals. That program has since returned to iPlayer with certain sketches excluded, similar to the Mitchell and Webb decision. A notable Mitchell and Webb sketch featuring characters in Nazi uniforms asking “are we the baddies?” remains available online.
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