BBC removes blackface and other sketches from That Mitchell and Webb Look on iPlayer

Robert Webb and David Mitchell at a Q&A event for Channel 4 last yearThe BBC has addressed its recent decision to remove controversial scenes  from the sketch series That Mitchell And Webb Look on its iPlayer service.In honour of the comedy show’s 20th anniversary, That Mitchell And Webb Look – starring the titular comedians David Mitchell and Robert Webb, alongside cast members that included Sarah Hadland and future Oscar winners Olivia Colman and Daniel Kaluuya  – was made available to stream on the BBC’s iPlayer platform.However, fans of the duo quickly spotted that around 11 scenes had been pulled from this new edition of the series, including some that included the use of blackface.One such sketch depicted Robert and Olivia as the hosts of a makeover show, introduced to a woman in a burkha. Later, in a faux behind-the-scenes cutaway, David takes off this garment to reveal that he is in blackface.Another showed the Peep Show stars as Civil War re-enacters, who then use blackface as part of a re-staging of a conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the pair – again in a faux behind-the-scenes cutaway – debating whether or not what they’re doing is “racist”.In a statement, the BBC said: “That Mitchell and Webb Look has been made available on BBC iPlayer.”“This is a 20-year-old sketch show,” they continued. “In consultation with the programme makers, we have included the ones that still work today and not the ones that don’t.”David Mitchell and Robert Webb on This Morning in 2013HuffPost UK has contacted representatives for David Mitchell and Robert Webb for comment.Back in 2020, in light of the protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement that came after the murder of George Floyd, the BBC announced it was removing sketches making use of blackface from the sketch shows Little Britain, Come Fly With Me and The Mighty Boosh.“There’s a lot of historical programming available on BBC iPlayer, which we regularly review,” a BBC spokesperson said at the time.MORE TV NEWS:Robert Webb Shares Why He Didn't Appear In The Great British Bake Off Peep Show Christmas SpecialStrictly Star Robert Webb Explains Why He 'Politely Declined' Offer To Return For Live FinalRobert Webb Reveals He Came Close To Death Before Undergoing Emergency Heart Surgery

The BBC has cut Blackface and other sketches from That Mitchell and Webb Look after making the comedy series available on iPlayer. The British broadcaster recently reinstated That Mitchell and Webb Look online to mark its 20th anniversary, but eagle-eyed Reddit users pointed out that the broadcaster had removed sketches. As many as 11 sketches […]

Episodes of ‘That Mitchell and Webb Look’ that featured blackface and Jimmy Savile jokes have been edited on iPlayer