Idris Elba says he disagrees with 'censorship' of racist old sitcoms because 'viewers should know that people made shows like this' and 'freedom of speech' must be allowed

Idris Elba says he does not agree with censoring old sitcoms because of modern sensibilities about race.  

Sitcoms including Little Britain, which came under fire because of the use of blackface make-up in some sketches, have been recently dropped from Netflix, BBC iPlayer and BritBox following backlash from viewers.

But Idris, 47,  told the Radio Times. 'I'm very much a believer in freedom of speech.'

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Speaking out: Idris Elba has revealed that he does not agree with censoring old sitcoms with offensive content, because of modern sensibilities about race

'Instead, there should be a ratings system warning viewers that a film or show has outdated, insulting viewpoints,' he said.

While not referring to a specific programme, Elba said: 'To mock the truth, you have to know the truth. But to censor racist themes within a show, to pull it... I think viewers should know that people made shows like this.

'Commissioners and archive-holders pulling things they think are exceptionally tone-deaf at this time - fair enough and good for you.

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Criticised: Little Britain has been removed from streaming sites because of scenes involving blackface, leading to a mixed reaction from viewers

'But I think, moving forward, people should know that freedom of speech is accepted, but the audience should know what they're getting into.'

'I don't believe in censorship,' Elba added. 'I believe that we should be allowed to say what we want to say. Because, after all, we're story-makers.'

The In The Long Run actor said boosting diversity needs a change in attitude.

'Money helps,' he said, but added: 'It's a shift in attitude, in perspective, in tolerance. And you can't put an amount on that.'

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Recovered: Idris said that broadcasters should use a rating system to warn viewers about historic content that could be offensive (pictured in February 2018)

In an apparent reaction to the Black Lives Matter protests, Netflix pulled Little Britain from streaming services last month, along with Matt Lucas and David Walliams' other comedy Come Fly With Me.

Then the BBC and BritBox both confirmed they had also decided to remove Little Britain saying 'times have changed' since the show first aired. 

Similarly, Bo' Selecta, which impersonated black stars such as Craig David, Trisha Goddard and Michael Jackson has been removed from All 4 after creator Leigh Francis recently issued a tearful apology. It is, however, still available on Prime Video. 

It suggested an uncertain future for other popular comedy series which feature similar techniques, though many are still available to watch on streaming sites.  

The decision by Netflix to remove Lucas and Walliams' two series sparked anger from subscribers to the service, who were annoyed when they discovered the two shows had been dropped. 

The move is likely to lead to calls for more outdated shows that may be seen as racist to be removed.