Netflix 'axes Mighty Boosh and League of Gentlemen over blackface scenes'

Netflix is thought to have pulled The Mighty Boosh and The League Of Gentlemen from the streaming platform.

Soon after bosses decided to axe Little Britain over the use of blackface in some sketches, the comedies have been ‘removed’ from the service.

According to the Guardian, Netflix found certain characters in both shows ‘problematic’ as they were portrayed by white actors donning blackface.

The personalities in question are Spirit of Jazz and Papa Lazarou, in The Mighty Boosh and League of Gentlemen respectively.

It is not clear when Netflix decided to remove the shows from their slate.

However Reece Shearsmith, who played Lazarou, previously insisted that his BBC Two character was not blackface.

Speaking to the Independent last year, he said: ‘It was not me doing a black man. 

‘It was always this clown-like make-up and we just came up with what we thought was the scariest idea to have in a sort of Child Catcher-like way.’

The series currently remains on BBC iPlayer.

The news comes after it was confirmed that Little Britain had been removed from Netflix, Britbox and BBC iPlayer, over the use of blackface in some sketches.

Following the Black Lives Matter protests and the overdue mainstream conversations about systemic racism and white privilege, the platforms axed Matt Lucas and David Walliams’ problematic series with immediate effect.

Netflix first made the move on Friday, while iPlayer and Britbox have now followed suit, also banning their controversial Come Fly With Me series. 

‘There’s a lot of historical programming available on BBC iPlayer, which we regularly review,’ a spokesperson from the BBC said.

‘Times have changed since Little Britain first aired so it is not currently available on BBC iPlayer.’

Britbox added: ‘Times have changed since Little Britain first aired, so it is not currently available on BritBox. Come Fly With Me has not been available on the service for six months.’

Matt previously admitted Little Britain aged terribly, stressing if the comedy should ever be revived he would never play a black character again.

He told the Big Issue: ’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.’

Metro.co.uk has contacted Netflix, BBC and BabyCow for a comment.

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