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Channel 4 Responds To Claims Inbetweeners Channel Has Been Removed From YouTube For Being Offensive

Channel 4 Responds To Claims Inbetweeners Channel Has Been Removed From YouTube For Being Offensive

Rumours have been circulating on social media

Amelia Ward

Amelia Ward

Channel 4 has responded to claims that The Inbetweeners channel has been removed from YouTube due to offensive content.

Rumours had been circulating on social media among fans, who thought its removal may have been linked to other programmes being removed from streaming services due to problematic content or attitudes towards race - particularly involving the use of blackface.

Fans thought it may have been removed due to offensive content.
Channel 4

Channel 4 confirmed that the sitcom series has been re-licensed, as reported back in March.

Speaking to LADbible, a Channel 4 spoksperson said: "The rights owner of The Inbetweeners (outside the UK) has changed from DRG to Banijay Group, so the standalone YouTube channel showing The Inbetweeners content has been taken down for the time being.

"The Inbetweeners full episodes are still available on All 4."

Rumours had circulated online that the show was removed because its content had been deemed offensive.

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This follows the removal of a slew of shows from streaming services due to white actors' portrayals of black characters.

In the wake of the death of George Floyd, and the subsequent wider resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, many creators have taken the decision to apologise publicly.

Channel 4 removed Bo Selecta! from its streaming service after the show's creator Leigh Francis apologised for his portrayal of black celebrities.

Francis, who now plays character Keith Lemon, portrayed a number of black celebrities on Bo' Selecta!, which ran between 2002 and 2009 on Channel 4, including Michael Jackson, Craig David and Trisha Goddard.

Francis portrayed Craig David in the show.
Channel 4

The series has now been removed from All 4, as confirmed to The Sun.

A spokesperson told the tabloid: "We support Leigh in his decision to reflect on Bo' Selecta! in light of recent events and we've agreed with him to remove the show from the All 4 archive."

Ant and Dec also apologised for episodes of Saturday Night Takeaway where they portrayed black characters.

In the past, the presenters appeared in blackface on their weekly entertainment show, but they've now admitted that it was wrong.

They've also said that ITV won't feature any of the episodes in question on their streaming service or the show's YouTube channel.

The comedy duo added: "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."

Featured Image Credit: Channel 4

Topics: TV and Film, UK Entertainment, the inbetweeners