Minister criticises BBC for its ‘PC’ ban on Little Britain

THE BBC is “taking political correctness too far” by removing Little Britain from iplayer over concerns about the sketch show’s characters, the media minister has said.

David Walliams and Matt Lucas used blackface and portrayed a Thai bride called Ting Tong in the comedy series.

The show was dropped by the BBC, Britbox and Netflix last month, with the BBC saying “times have changed” since it was first aired in 2003.

The BBC also briefly cut an episode of Fawlty Towers from its streaming service over racial slurs, before reinstating it with a warning to viewers.

In the Commons, John Whittingdale responded to a question from Tom Hunt, the Tory MP, who said fans of the shows were angry “that executives at their state broadcaster, whose salaries they pay, have made this censorious decision and effectively made a value judgment about them for continuing to enjoy these programmes”.

Mr Whittingdale, the minister for media and data, replied: “I share my honourable friend’s surprise that the BBC decided that Little Britain was so unacceptable. Certain programmes that were extremely popular in the Sixties, for instance, would now be regarded as wholly unacceptable, which not just the BBC but all of us need to remain sensitive to, but there is a risk that removing certain programming that is still widely enjoyed is taking political correctness too far.”

Mr Whittingdale said the BBC must fulfil its charter obligations by representing the views of all of the nation, and not just “the metropolitan bubbles of London and Manchester”.

He also warned that the BBC must not be “heavy-handed” in collecting licence fees from over-75s after its decision to scrap free licences, saying the Government was “deeply disappointed” that it did not explore other options, such as restricting it to households in which everyone is 75 or over.

He added: “It has always seemed to be extraordinary that a banker at Goldman Sachs who happens to have his grandmother living in his home can claim a free TV licence.”

However, one upside is that it may prompt more elderly people to claim Pension Credit. It is estimated that two in five people entitled to claim have not done so. “This will perhaps be the best marketing tool for pension credit that we have seen,” Mr Whittingdale said.