BBC removes 11 sketches from ‘That Mitchell and Webb Look’

The BBC has removed 11 sketches from the BAFTA-winning comedy series ‘That Mitchell and Webb Look’ ahead of its release on the broadcaster’s streaming service for the show’s twentieth anniversary. The decision, which the BBC states was made in consultation with the programme makers, follows the reasoning that certain material from the 20-year-old show no longer ‘works today.’

The removed content includes sketches involving blackface, a parody of a makeover show featuring a burqa, and jokes regarding Jimmy Savile, Gary Rhodes, and an indigenous tribe. Some of the erased scenes were designed as satires of racism, with characters within the sketches explicitly questioning whether the humor crossed a line.

Comedian John Cleese has criticized the broadcaster’s decision to censor the material. As of the latest reports, stars David Mitchell and Robert Webb have not issued public comments regarding the removals.