Aboriginal Today host Brooke Boney says comedies showing blackface SHOULDN'T be banned - after Chris Lilley's controversial shows, Gone With The Wind and Little Britain were removed from streaming services
- Brooke Boney has spoken out about streaming services removing TV show
- The Today Show host said companies should do more than just hide the past
- Chris Lilley's controversial mockumentary comedies were removed from Netflix
Brooke Boney has slammed streaming services for removing controversial shows featuring blackface and offensive racial stereotypes, claiming the move will not create real change.
The Indigenous Today show host spoke out after it was revealed Chris Lilley's controversial comedies were being pulled from Netflix in light of the Black Lives Matter movement.
'If these companies truly want to make lasting change and not just virtue signal in a moment of turmoil, then they need to support new talent,' Boney said on the show on Thursday.
'They need to open doors that have been closed to people of talent before.
'So if they truly want to make a difference in the way that we tell stories about who we are in society, then we don't do that by deleting things we've done in the past we do it by making sure we don't do it again in the future.'
Controversial: In the past, those shows raised questions about racial discrimination as several of the characters were portrayed in blackface and brownface. On Angry Boys, he portrayed African-American rapper S.mouse (pictured) and performed a song called 'Squashed N****'
Boney explained it was important not to remove the shows as they served as important reminders of how people of colour were viewed in the past.
'If I have children, I don't want them to see and to think that that is how they fit into the world. But I'd also like to show them how poorly our people were thought of and treated in the past,' Boney said.
'These things hurt because it feels lie these people are punching down. It's easy for people who are on the bottom rung of the ladder.'
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On Wednesday, Deadline revealed four of Chris Lilley's shows - Jonah From Tonga, Angry Boys, Summer Heights High and We Can Be Heroes - had been removed from the service in Australia and New Zealand.
In the past, those shows raised questions about racial discrimination as several of the characters were portrayed in blackface and brownface.
On Angry Boys, Lilley portrayed fictional African-American rapper S.mouse and performed a song called 'Squashed N****'.
Brooke Boney spoken out about streaming service removing controversial shows, claiming the move won't create real change
Little Britain EXCLUSIVE: Show has removed from Netflix, BBC iPlayer and BritBox amid concerns that the use of blackface characters on the series is no longer acceptable
For Jonah From Tonga, Lilley painted his face brown and wore a curly wig to portray troubled teen Jonah Takalua.
Meanwhile in We Can Be Heroes, Chris played Chinese physics student Ricky Wong.
Despite the removal of four of his shows, Chris will still have two series available on Netflix - Ja'mie: Private School Girl and Lunatics, in which he dons brownface to play dog whisperer Jana Melhoopen-Jonks.
Daily Mail Australia has approached Princess Pictures, which produced the shows for the ABC, for comment.
Little Britain has also been removed from Netfilx amid concerns that the use of blackface characters on the series is no longer acceptable.
Raising questions: For Jonah From Tonga, he painted his face brown and wore a curly wig to portray troubled teen Jonah Takalua
Removed: Netflix removes Chris Lilley's controversial mockumentary comedies from their Australia and New Zealand services in light of the Black Lives Matter movement. Pictured
Gone With The Wind has been pulled from HBO after it was criticized for romanticizing slavery, amid a nationwide re-evaluation of cultural values.
The 1939 Civil War epic, starring Clark Gable as Rhett Butler and Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara, is based on a novel written three years previously by Margaret Mitchell.
It tells the story of a turbulent romance during the Civil War and Reconstruction period. Hattie McDaniel, who would've been 127 today, won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the first African American to win an Oscar.
The film has been viewed through a more critical lens in recent years, with many questioning whether a film that glosses over the horrors of slavery should still be shown.
Could the axe swing on more of Britain's favourite comedies?
League of Gentlemen
Papa Lazarou features in League of Gentlemen, which is still available to watch on Neflix and iPlayer
Steve Pemberton and Mark Gattis' BBC comedy features a character called Papa Lazarou - a blacked-up ringmaster who calls everybody Dave. He collects spouses by forcing his way into women's homes posing as a humble peg-seller, then talks gibberish at them until they hand over their wedding rings, at which point he says: 'You're my wife now!' League of Gentlemen is still available to watch on both Netflix and BBC iPlayer.
Bo' Selecta
Leigh Francis said he was 'deeply sorry' for the way he impersonated stars such as Trisha Goddard
Comedian Leigh Francis tearfully apologised for impersonating black stars such as Craig David, Trisha Goddard and Michael Jackson on his programme. Talk show host Trisha said it 'emboldoned a lot of casual racism' while popstar David insists it ruined his life. Bo' Selecta is no longer on All 4 but remains on Prime Video.
The Simpsons
Apu has come under fire for perpetuating racial stereotypes
Hank Azaria announced earlier this year he will no longer voice Indian immigrant and Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu on The Simpsons after 30 years. The South Asian character has come under fire for perpetuating racial stereotypes. The Simpsons is broadcast regularly on Channel 4 and can be streamed on Disney+.
Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul
Nelson Mandela was parodied in Harry and Paul's sketch show
Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse faced criticism in their sketch series for their depiction of Nelson Mandela appearing on adverts selling various narcotics and promoting shoplifting.
Rising Damp
The character of Rupert Rigsby has also been criticised, but creator Eric Chappell defended him by saying he 'was not a racist or a bigot, but he was prejudiced and suspicious of strangers'. There were also jokes about Leonard Rossiter's character having a black medical student as a tenant. Rising Damp is still available to watch via Prime and ITV Hub.
Facejacker
The prank call show often featured accents
Channel 4's show about prank calling often featured accents from ethnic minorities. Star Kayvan Novak previously said: 'There's a weird thing going on at the moment where the more extreme politics and people's opinions get, the more it seems that comedy on TV is all about playing safe and not offending anyone, when it needs to hold up a mirror and go 'this is what's going on now'.'
Only Fools and Horses
Even perhaps Britain's most beloved sitcom of all time has had to edit old episodes to remove politically incorrect dialogue, such as an episode where Del told a child to 'pop down to the P**i shop' - a line no longer broadcast in repeats.
The Two Ronnies
Another one of the nation's all-time favourites. Many have felt uncomfortable about a sketch titled 'The Sheikh in the Grocery Store', which features Ronnie Corbett wearing dark makeup and an Arabic keffiyeh, mispronouncing the names of items on his shopping list. The Archway School in Gloucestershire had to apologise for showing the clip to parents after complaints were made.
Fantasy Football League
David Baddiel as Jason Lee
Ex-Nottingham Forest star Jason Lee, who was often a target of ridicule on the 90s show, said David Baddiel's depiction of him was 'a form of bullying'.
The Mighty Boosh
Noel Fielding as 'The Spirit of Jazz'
Noel Fielding portrays 'The Spirit of Jazz' - a black, dreadlocked character in the BBC series, sparking much discussion over racism. Fielding has also been in hot water after a picture emerged of him painted black while dressed as tennis star Bjorn Borg.
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