In the last 30 minutes I have taken two phone calls

[Sir C]

It evokes decades of racism in the entertainment industry where blacked up white people were preferred to, you know, black people.

It is also one of the many reasons why It Aint Half Hot Mum is no longer considered acceptable for TV.

Eh? As a child I used to spend time backstage with the Black & White Minstrels. Geoff Love, what a musician! But I digress. Explain to me how the Black & White Minstrels could possibly be constued as racist? They were celebrating southern American black culture, for Christ's sake!

You people would see racism in anything, I swear.

[Ash]

How is it not racist 'by definition'??

Careful, Peter. You are tangling with one of the country's finest minds. He went to UCL, you know. Probably deserves at least four votes.

[Peter]

Windsor Davies was quite funny. "YOU IS ALL POOFS!" "Ohdearhowsadnevermind"

Yes. What shocked me is that they made 8 series of it.

8!

[Sir C]

Windsor Davies was quite funny. "YOU IS ALL POOFS!" "Ohdearhowsadnevermind"

The Indian* fella was hysterical.

*possibly not Indian.

[Burney]

But by definition it is not racist at all. In the same way that a non-white person dressing as a white person during a fancy dress party wouldn't be racist.

I'm afraid I just don't get it. I doubt they are of an age to appreciate what you are saying there.

I'm not keen on saying whether things are or aren't racist, tbh, since the word has become meaningless. However, the clear intention is to lampoon and ridicule. That's fine, but when you pop the highly explosive ingredient of race into that particular mix, you're skating on pretty thin ice. If they didn't realise that, they're fücking idiots.

[Peter]

Eh? As a child I used to spend time backstage with the Black & White Minstrels. Geoff Love, what a musician! But I digress. Explain to me how the Black & White Minstrels could possibly be constued as racist? They were celebrating southern American black culture, for Christ's sake!

You people would see racism in anything, I swear.

I suppose because the Black and White Minstrels were all white.

[Peter]

I'm not keen on saying whether things are or aren't racist, tbh, since the word has become meaningless. However, the clear intention is to lampoon and ridicule. That's fine, but when you pop the highly explosive ingredient of race into that particular mix, you're skating on pretty thin ice. If they didn't realise that, they're fücking idiots.

Pretty much, yes.

[Burney]

I suppose because the Black and White Minstrels were all white.

Well, they were Welsh. I'm not sure that counts as white.

[Peter]

Careful, Peter. You are tangling with one of the country's finest minds. He went to UCL, you know. Probably deserves at least four votes.

I used to work at UCL. Worst job I ever had. Wall to wall buffoons.

[Sir C]

I suppose because the Black and White Minstrels were all white.

So being white makes you racist? Interesting theory. Or is it pretending to be black that makes you racist?

That must mean that blokes who pretend to be women are sexist. No, hold on, they actually are women, apparently.

The fúcking Stalinists have made so many rules they're contradicting themselves. Soon we'll all have to be sent to the re-education kamps.