Little Britain removed from streaming services after blackface criticism
Little Britain has been removed from iPlayer because "times have changed" since the comedy first aired, the BBC has said.
The series, starring David Walliams and Matt Lucas, has come under fire recently because of the use of blackface in some of the sketches.
It comes after Black Lives Matter protests have taken place around the world following the death of unarmed black man George Floyd after a police officer knelt on his neck in the US.
Last week, comedian Leigh Francis issued a tearful apology for portraying black celebrities on sketch show Bo' Selecta.
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The comic played stars including king of pop Michael Jackson, singer Craig David and talkshow host Trisha Goddard on the show, which first aired in 2002.
Little Britain has also been criticised for its portrayal of black women by white men.
A BBC spokesman said: "There's a lot of historical programming available on BBC iPlayer which we regularly review. Times have changed since Little Britain first aired, so it is not currently available on BBC iPlayer."
A BritBox spokewoman also confirmed the show has been removed from that platform too.
Last week, Netflix also removed the show, as well as Walliams and Lucas's other series Come Fly With Me.
Earlier this year, the pair revisited Little Britain for BBC One's Big Night In charity programme, reprising their roles as a number of the show's famous characters including Lou and Andy, Daffyd, Marjorie Dawes and Sebastian while wearing makeshift costumes.
