BBC iPlayer adds warnings about outdated language to classic comedies removed from Netflix
Message warns that shows ‘reflect the broadcast standards, language and attitudes’ of their time

Isobel Lewis The Independent Wednesday 01 July 2020 15:40 BST

As TV networks and streaming services around the world reckon with their past use of racist stereotypes on screen, the BBC’s catch-up service added a pop-up warning to shows containing language deemed offensive in 2020. A message accompanying the recent remake of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads reads: “This film is set in the 1980s and reflects the language and social attitudes of its time.” Meanwhile, a number of classic comedies including The Mighty Boosh and The League of Gentlemen have an added message noting that each show “reflects the broadcast standards, language and attitudes of its time”, adding that “some viewers may find this content offensive.” Both comedies were removed from Netflix in June due to their use of blackface, but have remained on iPlayer throughout.

Earlier this week, Channel 4 responded in a similar manner to the news that Netflix had removed a scene containing blackface from a 2004 episode of Peep Show, telling Newsweek that many of the shows in their archive “reflect the time they were made and some contain content which could now be regarded as inappropriate”. They added: “We understand the strong feelings provoked by some of this content but we do not believe that erasing our creative history is a quick fix for the issues affecting our society today.” After Gone With The Wind was removed from HBO Max, the show returned to the streaming service with a pre-roll disclaimer explaining that the film “denies the horrors of slavery”.