Keith Allen says cancel culture gets 'right up my nose'

‘Cancel culture gets right up my nose’: Keith Allen speaks out on old shows receiving viewer discretion warnings and says they must be watched ‘in context’ of when they were made

Keith Allen has said cancel culture gets ‘right up [his] nose’ as he spoke about current attitudes to old beloved shows and films.

The actor, 68, appeared on Wednesday’s Good Morning Britain where he discussed programmes being given viewer discretion warnings to advise viewers on the historial nature of some of the work.

Co-host Adil Ray kicked off the debate by asking Keith: ‘I find you really interesting, when it comes to standing up for the right person, the right thing, you do that a lot.

Candid: Keith Allen has said cancel culture gets ‘right up [his] nose’ as he spoke about current attitudes to old beloved shows and films

‘You stand up for injustices, you stand up for minorities, I have heard you talk about people from all different sexual societies.

‘We are in this weird world of cancel culture, and you have already talked about The Young Ones and how there are now homophobic warnings, how do you counterbalance what you stand for?

‘But at the same time as a creative, allowing creativity to be open and free?’    

Keith replied: ‘There were comedians writing ostencibly homophobic or racist material. 

Controversial: The Young Ones has become the latest sitcom to be slapped with a trigger warning over jokes including ‘racist and homophobic’ content (pictured in 1983)

‘We were completely anti that and that’s what this so-called alternative comedy movement came out of. I’m covered in that respect. 

‘When I hear people talking about, “there has to be warnings here”. You have to put it into context. You’re looking at a culture through a lens. 

‘You can’t say, “no don’t watch this”. You have to know this is historial fact. Let’s have a look at it, we’ll view it in a different way. Cancel culture gets right up my nose.’

It comes after shows including The Young Ones and Keeping Up Appearances have recently been given viewer discretion warnings.

Adil Ray asked: ‘We are in this weird world of cancel culture, and you have already talked about The Young Ones and how there are now homophobic warnings, how do you counterbalance what you stand for?’

For its release on BritBox, The Young Ones comes with a disclaimer about its jokes – warning viewers the show features ‘racist and homophobic’ content.

The sitcom centred around four housemates who attended Scumbag College and featured anarchic and slapstick humour.

Examples of outdated language used on the sitcom include a 1982 episode entitled Boring, in which Rik is accosted by an obnoxious policeman who, due to wearing sunglasses, believes Rick to be black rather than white.

He then refers to Rik as ‘Mr. Sambo Darkie C**n’, as well as ‘Mr. Rastas Chocolate Drop’, before quipping that he thought Rick was ‘an N-word.’

An alert ahead of the episodes on Britbox now reads: ‘Contains adult humour, violence, sex references, and racist language that may offend.’ 

Keith said: ‘You can’t say, “no don’t watch this”. You have to know this is historial fact. Let’s have a look at it, we’ll view it in a different way. Cancel culture gets right up my nose’

Another episode warns it has ‘homophobic language that may offend.’

A spokesperson for BritBox said that they ‘review and refresh’ content on the streaming service ‘on an ongoing basis’ in order to ‘ensure that the right guidance is in place.’

They said: ‘We review and refresh BritBox’s programme catalogue on an ongoing basis.

Keeping Up Appearances has also been given a viewer discretion warning for its release on BritBox. 

In one episode of Keeping up Appearances, lead character Hyacinth and her husband visit her sister in the country and encounter a posh, well-spoken man. 

Warning: Keeping Up Appearances has reported been given a viewer discretion warning for its release on the streaming service BritBox

Hyacinth then tells her husband that the stranger is ‘quent’, meaning eloquent, and ‘quent as a £4 note’.

In another episode, many of the show’s characters make jokes about a Polish person where they interrogate his right to be living in the UK.

As a result, Britbox has now added a disclaimer warning viewers that the series ‘contains ­language and ­attitudes of the era that may offend’, the Daily Star reports.

The ITV and BBC streaming service said: ‘We review and refresh BritBox’s programme catalogue on an ongoing basis.

‘Programming on the service that ­contains potentially sensitive language or attitudes of their era has carried appropriate warnings since our launch in November 2019, to ensure the right guidance is in place for viewers who are choosing to watch on demand.’

Which shows have been slapped with a content warning on Britbox? 

Some Mothers Do Ave Em Christmas special

The show ‘contains language and attitudes of the time that may offend.’ 

The special prompted a slew of complaints of a homophobic slur as Michael Crawford’s character Frank Spencer is called a ‘p**f’ after dressing up as a pixie.

Reaction: BritBox added a ‘woke’ content warning to the Christmas comedy Some Mothers Do Ave Em (Michael Crawford and Michelle Dotrice are pictured as the main characters)

Desmond’s

One episode called ‘Hello Aunty Susu’ includes a discussion about hereditary traits.

Britbox said the episode, which has also been flagged by Channel 4, ‘contains racial stereotyping which some viewers may find offensive’.

Desmond’s: The BBC and ITV streaming service placed the caution on one episode called ‘Hello Aunty Susu’, which includes a discussion about hereditary traits

Casualty 

Dozens of old episodes have had warnings added to them due to content involving black characters being abused racially.  

Most episodes feature a warning that reads: ‘Contains emotional scenes and medical procedures.’

One in particular warns: ‘Contains emotional scenes and racist language and attitudes which may offend some viewers.’

Warning! Streaming service Britbox has slapped veteran medical drama Casualty with a ‘racist’ warning [pictured are stars Charles Venn and Jaye Griffiths in 2018]

The Good Life

Episode four of the light-hearted comedy – which starred the late Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal and Penelope Keith – featured a scene in which Penelope’s character Margo wore an apron featuring Robertson’s jam since-banned Golly badge.

BritBox has now added a disclaimer warning viewers that the episode ‘contains offensive racial imagery’.

Warning: A viewer discretion warning has been given to BritBox’s re-running of 1970s show The Good Life after apron featuring Robertson’s jam since-banned Golly badge is shown

Coronation Street 

A warning was issued on a classic 1968 episode which saw Hilda and Stan Ogden pay a visit to a Chinese restaurant.

The scenes saw Stan brand one Chinese man ‘the son of an Orient’ after trying to talk to the waiter in French, and went onto brand his food ‘foreign tack.’

Awareness: Coronation Street was hit with an offensive content warning for scenes involving Stan and Hilda Ogden (pictured in 1983)

Keeping Up Appearances

The family sitcom – which starred Patricia Routledge as Hyacinth and Clive Swift as her husband Richard – featured several jokes that have fallen foul of modern-day channel bosses. 

In one episode, many of the show’s characters make jokes about a Polish person where they interrogate his right to be living in the UK.

As a result, Britbox has now added a disclaimer warning viewers that the series ‘contains ­language and ­attitudes of the era that may offend’

Warning: Keeping Up Appearances was given a viewer discretion warning for its release on the streaming service BritBox

Midsomer Murders

The ITV detective drama, which first aired in 1997, came under fire over scenes of Morris dancers with blacked-out faces.

TV censors at streaming service BritBox warned viewers the season two episode Blood Will Out, ‘includes traditional dancing that might offend some viewers’  

Midsomer Murders: BritBox warned viewers the season two episode Blood Will Out, ‘includes traditional dancing that might offend some viewers’

 

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