The BBC has quietly removed nearly a dozen sketches from the BAFTA-winning comedy That Mitchell and Webb Look following its return to the iPlayer streaming service.
The series, starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb, originally ran for four series between 2006 and 2010. While the broadcaster brought the show back to mark its 20th anniversary, viewers quickly noticed that 11 sketches had been edited out.
Why the Sketches Were Cut
According to the BBC, the decisions were made in close collaboration with the show’s creators. A spokesperson for the broadcaster stated: "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."
Reports indicate that the deleted material contains scenes that no longer align with modern broadcasting standards. Among the 11 missing sketches are:
- A scene featuring Mitchell and Webb portraying war re-enactors in blackface to satirize racism.
- A sketch about a makeover show contestant wearing a burka.
- A segment involving a "tribe" living inside a garden centre.
Despite the removals, the duo’s most famous sketch—which features them as Nazi soldiers asking, "Are we the baddies?"—remains unedited on the platform.
Industry Figures Debate "Self-Censorship"
The edits have reignited a heated discussion within the British comedy landscape regarding archival preservation and political correctness.
Comedian Dom Joly, known for Trigger Happy TV, criticized the move, arguing that intent matters. Joly explained that while he understands blocking genuinely malicious content, "it's so clear that Mitchell and Webb are not doing that. Their intent was not to be racist."
Similarly, Jimmy Mulville, co-founder of Hat Trick Productions (the company behind Have I Got News For You), expressed concern over the precedent this sets. While Mulville acknowledged the BBC's difficult position, he warned that producers must ensure this "is not the thin end of a wedge where we cut things out."
A Shifting Cultural Landscape
This is not an isolated incident for UK broadcasters. As cultural standards evolve, older television catalog titles are increasingly subjected to post-broadcast editing.
In 2020, Matt Lucas and David Walliams' hit sketch show Little Britain was temporarily removed from multiple streaming platforms over controversial character portrayals. Although the series eventually returned to iPlayer, it underwent similar selective edits to remove outdated material.
As public broadcasters continue to update their legacy catalogs for modern audiences, the tension between preserving comedy history and meeting modern editorial standards remains a challenging balancing act.
