Little Britain return: Matt Lucas and David Walliams reunite to write new series - after Bake Off & BGT exits

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Matt Lucas and David Walliams freed up their schedules by quitting The Great British Bake Off and Britain’s Got Talent to focus on the return of Little Britain.

Little Britain is set to make its triumphant return after a 17-year absence, but it will be a follow-up series with “no controversial characters” , says Matt Lucas. The comedian, along with David Walliams, have confirmed the comeback.

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Matt Lucas created the comedy BBC series in 2003, coming to a conclusion in 2006. But he has now announced the comedy duo teamed up last week to begin work on its return which will feature a range of characters.

Both Matt and David previously came under fire for Little Britain because of its controversial themes such as the inclusion of blackface. It led to the show being subsequently removed from BBC iPlayer in June 2020, as well as Netflix along with the pair’s spin-off Come Fly With Me.

This time around Matt Lucas has promised Little Britain’s return will be updated for a modern world and include “no controversial characters”. It is reported that names such as racist weight loss coach Marjorie Dawes, Thai bride Ting Tong, and xenophobic homophobic Maggie Blackamoor will all be removed.

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Lucas revealed all on BBC Radio 2’s Zoe Ball Breakfast Show when he said: “We just thought it was time so we quit our jobs and decided to do that. We just started last week, we got together and we started brainstorming.

“We’ve got an idea for a new show and we need a few more brainstorming sessions but we know what we want the show to be. It will be a show with us playing lots of characters, but we have to write the treatment for it and we have to go and pitch it and see if anyone wants to make it - but if someone wants to make it, we’ll be thrilled to do it”.

Speaking previously about the show’s return in April 2020, Matt Lucas explained: “We need to sit down and work out who we are bringing back and who we aren’t. I think the reason the show was successful is because it reflected how we all were back when we made it, if we hadn’t have got that right it wouldn’t have been so popular.

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“I think to make it successful today you’d have to reflect how we all are now. I think you definitely have a better chance of success if you are in sync with how people are at that time.”

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David Walliams left the Britain’s Got Talent judging panel in November, being replaced by Strictly Come Dancing’s Bruno Tonioli. Meanwhile, Matt Lucas announced he had quit his role as one of the hosts of popular Channel 4 cooking programme The Great British Bake Off in December.

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