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LITTLE BRIT DIFFERENT

Matt Lucas & David Walliams confirm they’ve started new series of Little Britain – with major changes to avoid backlash

It comes after controversy over putting up the original series online due to the sketch show's use of racial stereotypes

LITTLE Britain will get a woke makeover, Matt Lucas has admitted.

Along with comedy partner David Walliams he is to work with a diverse range of writers and actors on the reboot.

*THIS IMAGE IS EMBARGOED UNTIL 00:01 TUESDAY 8th NOVEMBER 2005* LITTLE BRITAIN  Picture Shows: MATT LUCAS as Vicky Pollard Tx date: TBC Lucas and Walliams are on fine form again in a new sketch for the third series of Little Britain. WARNING: Use of this copyrighted image is subject to Terms of Use of BBC Digital Picture Service. In particular, this image may only be used during the publicity period for the purpose of publicising LITTLE BRITAIN and provided BBC is credited. Any use of this image on the internet or for any other puprose whatsoever, including advertising or other commercial uses, requires the prior written approval of the BBC.
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It's up in the air if infamous character Vicky Pollard will return to the Little Britain reboot, with co-creator Matt Lucas confirming a woke makeoverCredit: BBC

The duo previously said sorry for their use of blackface and racial stereotyping in the BBC sketch show which ran from 2003 to 2006.

Matt, 49, said of the planned new version: “The show will be different in many ways.

“We are talking about how we can have diverse talent on screen and in the writers’ room and conceive it as something which is just not about me and David playing absolutely everyone.

“That is something we should have done but didn’t do back then.

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“But we were making the show at the same time as many other people who were doing what we were doing and had that approach.”

Characters unlikely to return include the trans Emily and Florence, teen chav Vicky Pollard and Desiree DeVere — David, 52, in blackface.

Little Britain episodes carry a warning online.

Matt said: “Because some people are upset about what we do, or what we have done, out of respect to those people I don’t talk about it publicly because I don’t want to cause further upset to people who were upset.

“I totally accept there are different opinions.

“I accept people feel very differently from others and I respect everyone’s opinion from wherever they come from on this subject. I see things differently now to how we did.

“Things have changed and I respect that.”

Picture Shows: Florence (Matt Lucas), Emily (David Walliams) Tx: BBC One, Friday 3rd December 2004 Warning: Use of this copyright image is subject to Terms of Use of BBC Digital Picture Service. In particular, this image may only be used during the publicity period for the purpose of publicising BBC programming or other BBC output/activity and provided the BBC is credited. Any use of this image on the internet or for any other purpose whatsoever, including advertising or other commercial uses, requires the prior written approval of the BBC.
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Sketch show characters Emily and Florence, who constantly declared they were 'ladies', are unlikely to make a comebackCredit: BBC
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