Has removed 11 sketches from the Bafta-winning comedy series That Mitchell and Webb Look after determining that the content no longer aligns with current sensibilities. The show, which starred David Mitchell and Robert Webb, originally aired for four seasons between 2006 and 2010 but recently returned to the iPlayer platform to commemorate its 20th anniversary.
A spokesperson for the broadcaster stated that the decision was made in consultation with the programme’s creators. The official explanation noted: “This is a 20-year-old sketch show; in consultation with the programme makers, we have included the ones that still work today and not the ones that don’t.”
According to media reports, the excised material includes a sketch featuring the actors in blackface while portraying war re-enactors. Other removed segments reportedly depicted a contestant on a makeover programme wearing a burka and a sequence centered on a “tribe” living within a garden centre. Despite these cuts, many of the show’s most iconic segments remain available, including the famous “are we the baddies?” sketch where the duo appears in Nazi uniforms.
The comedy series originally evolved from the Radio 4 production That Mitchell and Webb Sound, which debuted in 2003. The television adaptation subsequently won a Bafta for best comedy programme in 2007, solidifying the reputation the pair established on the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show.
The move has prompted varied reactions within the industry. Comedian Dom Joly criticized the decision as a form of self-censorship. While acknowledging the need to avoid genuinely racist material that encourages harmful stereotypes, Joly argued that Mitchell and Webb’s original comedic intent was clearly not racist.
Jimmy Mulville, co-founder of Hat Trick Productions, suggested faces an “impossible position” when managing legacy content. While he acknowledged the necessity for producers to exercise caution, he warned against the “thin end of a wedge” where excessive removal of historical comedy could become a broader trend.
This development follows a wider trend of reassessing past media in light of shifting social attitudes, particularly following the Black Lives Matter movement. Comedians have increasingly scrutinized their own back catalogues as cultural standards evolve.
In 2020, Matt Lucas and David Walliams’ series Little Britain was removed from iPlayer, Netflix, and BritBox due to concerns regarding characters portraying people of different ethnic backgrounds. At the time, both and Britbox cited that “times have changed” since the show’s debut.
Although Little Britain has since returned to streaming services, similar to the Mitchell and Webb series, certain sketches remain edited out of the available episodes. The report also notes that has asked Mitchell and Webb – who rose to prominence on the popular Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show – for a comment. The report also notes that fellow comedian Dom Joly, of Trigger Happy TV, questioned “censorship” of itself, defending the double act.
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