Trisha Goddard reveals her shock at seeing Ant and Dec in blackface on Saturday Night Takeaway
TRISHA Goddard has slammed Ant and Dec for their blackface sketch on Saturday Night Takeaway.
The former talk show host, 62, revealed her shock over the Geordie Duo using blackface disguises, as the Black Lives Matter movement continues to spark discussions around race.
The presenting duo issued a joint statement on their social media accounts apologising for the old sketches from 2003, but Trisha said she was shocked the sketch had been allowed on air by people at ITV.
Trisha said: "Ant and Dec, I remember when I first saw that and it wasn't that long ago. I was like what?
"What are you? The fact that you're doing this…
"Do you genuinely think you can trick people into believing – as it was for a You've Been Framed type thing – I thought how undiverse."
"Nowhere along the line did someone go… because there was no one there to do that."
Trisha said shows like Ali G and Fawlty Towers, which had its Don't Mention The War episode pulled from UKTV for using racial slurs, are not offensive in comparison.
She added: "What did Fawlty Towers have to do with anything? I'm sorry but there was no black face in Fawlty Towers. People keep saying to me on social media 'well shouldn't Ali G be pulled?'
"Ali G was highlighting, at that time there were a lot of white people – if you want to put it in politically terms – misappropriating black culture and Ali G exposed a lot of racism by getting politicians to talk about weed and 'Is it cos I'm black?' he actually highlighted a lot racism.
"It's very different to putting on a black face with big rubbery lips and a big nose. That's very different from someone blacking up pretending…"
In the statement, Ant, and Dec, both 44, said: “During past episodes of Saturday Night Takeaway we impersonated people of colour in the undercover segment of the show.
"We realise this was wrong and want to say that we sincerely sorry to everyone that was offended.
"We purposely stopped doing this several years ago and certainly would not make these sketches today.
"We had already taken steps to ensure footage was taken down and have again recently confirmed with ITV that these segments, and any other historical content, that could cause offence, does not appear on either the ITV Hub or the Saturday Night Takeaway YouTube channel."
The Geordie duo regularly go undercover in the family-friendly show, wearing prosthetics and disguises to trick celebrities as well as members of the public.
Grabs from one of their 2003 sketches recently resurfaced online, showing Ant and Dec dressed up as Jamaican women Patty and Bernice as they appeared as extras on the set of Emmerdale.
The pair previously reminisced about the sketch, laughing as they recalled waking up at 2am in order to transform into the offensive characters.
The decision to axe the controversial episodes from air comes after Little Britain and Come Fly With Me were removed from Netflix, BBC iPlayer and BritBox due to the use of blackface characters.
Both series starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams are no longer available to watch on the online streaming sites amid the Black Lives Matter protests.
BBC and BritBox confirmed the TV shows have been taken down, telling viewers: "Times have changed."
In Little Britain - which aired from 2003 to 2007 - Walliams wore make up to play spa guest Desiree DeVere.
Meanwhile, Leigh Francis, who wore rubber masks to play stars in his show Bo’ Selecta, from 2002 to 2004, was confronted by Trisha, one of the black celebs he lampooned along with Craig David and Mel B.
Last month, the killing of black American George Floyd as he was arrested by white police officer Derek Chauvin triggered a debate on racism all over the world.
In a disturbing video, Chauvin can be seen kneeling on handcuffed Mr. Floyd's neck for over eight minutes while he pleaded for air.
The clip sparked Black Lives Matter protests for racial equality across the globe - including most US states, New Zealand, Australia, and up and down the UK.
Black Lives Matter was founded in 2013 and is an international movement that campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people.
Got a story? email digishowbiz@the-sun.co.uk or call us direct on 02077824220.
We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.