29 September 2023 , 14:44
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Peter Kay has defended Matt Lucas and David Walliams and their Little Britain series - and described comedy and political correctness as a "minefield".
In his new book, TV: Big Adventures on the Small Screen, Kay discusses a time he got to work with the pair and says it is a "shame" they have taken so much criticism.
Looking back to when he had a cameo in Little Britain, 50-year-old Kay says: "I started to get invites from my peers to play characters in their shows, which was really lovely. Matt Lucas and David Walliams asked me if I’d like to appear in a Little Britain special they were filming called Little Britain Abroad.
Many people feel Little Britain hasn't aged well since it first aired on BBC (BBC)"I was to play the younger brother of Dudley Punt (David Walliams). He’s just married his Thai bride, Ting Tong Macadangdang (Matt Lucas), in order to make an honest man/ woman of her. They go on their honeymoon to Belgium, where they meet up with my character. I live in a caravan park with my new 18-year-old virgin wife Ivanka (Julia Davis), ‘who’s set me back two hundred quid’.
"It was all very far from being politically correct but that’s what made it funny. It probably wouldn’t get made now.
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"Sadly, Matt and David have taken a lot of flak in the past few years for the work they did. I think that’s a shame."
Making a more general point and criticising sections of the media, Kay added: "Comedy is such a minefield, with political correctness changing it all the time. Sometimes for the greater good, most of the time not.
"Everybody’s a critic on social media. Something or somebody gets ‘slammed on Twitter’ (which might only be by a handful of people) and the press jump all over it.
"They sensationalise a story in order to generate clickbait for themselves and their websites. It can really damage or destroy somebody’s career."
Little Britain was removed from BBC iPlayer in 2020 after criticism of the show including the use of makeup to portray people of other races. It returned in March 2022 but with some sketches from the show edited out.
In 2017, Lucas 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. We made a more cruel kind of comedy than I'd do now."
Walliams has also said he would "definitely do it differently" in today's cultural landscape.
Kay's book is described as his "TV memories and adventures". It comes after Bolton-born Kay returned to the spotlight last year beginning his first live comedy shows in 12 years in December as part of an arena tour spanning to 2025 due to public demand.
T.V: Big Adventures On The Small Screen by Peter Kay is published by HarperCollins and is out now.
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