A ‘Peep Show’ scene featuring blackface has been removed from Netflix.
In the controversial episode, from series two of the sitcom, Robert Webb’s character Jez asks his girlfriend Nancy (Rachel Blanchard), "It just feels almost wrong. Are you sure this isn’t racist?" and she replies: "We’re breaking a taboo, of course it feels wrong. We’ve got boundaries to smash, Jeremy."
While Netflix has removed the scene, Channel 4 has opted to keep the footage on its streaming platform All 4.
Channel 4 told Newsweek that many of the shows in its archive "reflect the time they were made and some contain content which could now be regarded as inappropriate".
The spokesperson added: "We understand the strong feelings provoked by some of this content but we do not believe that erasing our creative history is a quick fix for the issues affecting our society today.
"Channel 4 is committed to inclusion and diversity and opposes discrimination in any form and therefore, having reflected deeply on this subject, we are undertaking a review of the principles governing how we handle historic programmes across our platforms."
Meanwhile, Netflix previously pulled ‘The Mighty Boosh’ and ‘The League of Gentlemen’ over scenes containing blackface.
The two BBC comedy shows were axed by the popular streaming service because of their use of blackface, following the recent Black Lives Matter protests that have been taking place primarily in the US and the UK.
According to The Guardian newspaper, ‘The Mighty Boosh’s Spirit of Jazz and Papa Lazarou from ‘The League of Gentlemen’ were both considered "problematic" by Netflix, as they were both played by white actors wearing blackface.
Papa Lazarou – described as a "blacked-up ringmaster who calls everybody Dave" – was inspired by an old landlord of the show’s creators, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, who has maintained the character was never supposed to represent a black man.
The Spirit of Jazz, meanwhile, is supposed to be the ghost of fictional jazz musician Howlin’ Jimmy Jefferson and was played by Noel Fielding in the series.