Matt Lucas ‘regrets’ trans jokes and blackface on Little Britain
Matt Lucas has spoken about transphobic jokes on Little Britain, admitting he wouldn’t make the “mean” series now.
BBC comedy series Little Britain aired from 2003 until 2007, starring comedy duo Matt Lucas and David Walliams.
The pair played a number of characters for the show, often cross-dressing as women for comedic effect. Most controversially, some skits featured the comedians in blackface as non-white characters.
Speaking to the Big Issue this week, Lucas admitted that he regrets the show’s “mean” approach to minority groups.
He said: “If I could go back and do Little Britain again, I wouldn’t make those jokes about transvestites.
“I wouldn’t play black characters. Basically, I wouldn’t make that show now. It would upset people.”
He explained: “We made a more cruel kind of comedy than I’d do now.
“Society has moved on a lot since then, and my own views have evolved.
“There was no bad intent there – the only thing you could accuse us of was greed.
“We just wanted to show off about what a diverse bunch of people we could play.
“Now I think it’s lazy for white people to get a laugh just by playing black characters. My aim is to entertain, I don’t have any other agenda.”
He added: “As I’ve got older, I’ve become more empathetic, I care more about hurting people.”
The comic was promoting his new memoir, Little Me (My Life from A-Z).
In the new book, Matt discusses losing his hair to alopecia as a six year old.
He explained that as a child he had struggled with bullying over his image, and wrote to Olympic swimmer Goodhew, who is also bald, for support.
The popular athlete responded by sending him a “bald is beautiful” badge and a best wishes message
Lucas finally met his childhood hero while appearing on The One Show this week.
The Little Britain creator looked visibly moved, as he struggled to find words to say to his idol.
