John Cleese issues scathing response over BBC’s decision to censor That Mitchell and Webb Look scenes that ‘don’t work today’

The broadcaster said the decision was taken in collaboration with the show’s creators. A spokesperson said: “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.”

Starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb, the sketch show originally aired across four series between 2006 and 2010. It spawned iconic moments, including the widely memed “Are we the baddies?” scene featuring the pair dressed as Nazis.

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The pair, who first rose to prominence through Channel 4’s Peep Show, have not yet commented publicly on the removals.

Among the erased material is a sketch depicting the duo as English Civil War re-enactors who decide to stage a conflict from the Democratic Republic of Congo while wearing blackface.

Mr Webb’s character asks whether the scenario is racist, with Mr Mitchell’s eventually conceding it is “very, very racist.”

Another removed scene parodies a makeover programme, with Mr Mitchell appearing as a contestant in a burka.

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The pair then discuss whether the sketch crosses a line in a cutaway scene. “Aren’t we just taking the p*** out of people’s sincerely held beliefs?” Mr Webb asks, to which Mr Mitchell dismisses the concern before removing the burka to reveal blackface underneath.

Further cuts reportedly include a joke about Jimmy Savile, an impersonation of the late chef Gary Rhodes making homophobic remarks, and a sketch about an indigenous “tribe” inhabiting a garden centre.

The move has prompted an outpouring of fury from fans of the sketch show, including Monty Python legend Mr Cleese.

Taking to X, the 86-year-old responded to a number of complaints from comedy fans, keen to deliver his own thoughts on the decision.

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“An entire generation has been raised on humour that is now deemed problematic. How will they extract that humour from our personalities and memory?” one X user penned. “Will I need a lobotomy to correct my Little Britain thoughts when I see someone stand from a wheelchair or a man dressed as a lady?”

Mr Cleese weighed in with a rather pointed remark: “If the BBC could prioritise making great programmes ahead of social engineering, they might be worth the licence fee.”

Meanwhile, he also replied to actor James Dreyfus, who was similarly dismayed. “So, the BBC have decided that 11 of Mitchell & Webb’s sketches are no longer deemed ‘appropriate for modern-day audiences’, despite the fact that ALL their material comes from an intelligent source base, that pokes fun at & ridicules the foolish & ignorant,” Mr Dreyfus began.

“And people have the nerve to suggest that we’d miss the BBC if it suddenly disappeared’…? Not in its current incarnation, believe me…” Mr Dreyfus added.

The BBC knows what’s best for us

And some of us know what’s best for the BBC https://t.co/Ac4walDbeN

— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) September 23, 2026

He signed off: “A complete overhaul is what it needs & quick smart. That they cannot seem to grasp this basic fact, even after ALL their fatuous recent errors, remains remarkable & completely tone-deaf.” (sic)

Mr Cleese replied: “The BBC knows what’s best for us. And some of us know what’s best for the BBC.”

Following his intervention, Mr Cleese was inundated with responses from followers who agreed with his stance. “It’s gone well past that,” one X user replied. “The BBC is like a dog that has turned on a child and so can no longer be trusted and must be put down immediately.”

“They need to realise the ‘protecting’ people is another word for censorship,” a second weighed in, before a third said: “Well said, John. They haven’t made anything worth watching for years.”

And another added to the debate: “They haven’t made any truly great programmes in decades!”

The controversy surrounding That Mitchell and Webb Look echoes the fate of Little Britain, which was pulled from iPlayer in 2020 over its use of blackface before returning in 2022 with edited episodes and content warnings.

Unedited versions of That Mitchell and Webb Look remain available on Sky and NOW with content warnings attached.