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Fans defend Gavin and Stacey from calls for it to be pulled amidst racism row

It's the latest show to get caught up in the race row

Some social media users have called for Gavin and Stacey to be axed.

It comes as several shows including Little Britain and the League of Gentleman have been pulled.

Those comedies were taken off screens due to characters in them which used blackface.

Gavin and Stacey will be reuniting for Christmas 2024 after reuniting in 2020 already
Gavin and Stacey Christmas special got a record number of viewers with 17.1 million people tuning in (Credit: BBC)

Read more: Gavin & Stacey star Larry Lamb addresses how US fame has ‘changed’ James Corden

Minority characters

Now some viewers have questioned if the BBC comedy Gavin and Stacey should still be shown.

That’s because it features the characters ‘Chinese Alan’ and ‘Seth, the black fella’.

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Some took to Twitter to raise the issue and ask if the much-loved show should follow others which have been removed.

Gavin and Stacey, which got a record number of viewers for its Christmas special last year, is currently on BBC iPlayer, Netflix and Britbox.

Chinese Alan got his nickname because he orders Chinese food so often (Credit: BBC)

Read more: James Corden reveals there are ‘no plans’ for more Gavin and Stacey

Defending the comedy

However, while some have called for it to be removed, many fans rushed to defend the show.

One viewer tweeted James Corden directly: “Do you think it is acceptable for a white man to play a character referred to casually as “Chinese Alan”? You need to issue a full and frank grovelling apology. I find it VERY offensive.”

Another questioned why fans hadn’t realised this before.

“Why are people only now complaining about Gavin & Stacey and Little Britain regards unPC words and sketches? I just can’t remember anything being said when these shows were first shown in TV #littlebritain #gavinandstacey,” they wrote.

But not everyone agreed.

Seth only had a small part on the show (Credit: BBC)

Another fan wrote: “I stopped tweeting years ago but I’m back just this once to say, how is ‘Chinese Alan’ racist? It’s his nickname because he likes Chinese food. What’s wrong with people overreacting needlessly? #ChineseAlan #GavinAndStacey #CantBelieveThisIsTrending

Yet another said: “Think most of you will know by now my stance on racism but am ASTOUNDED that some viewers are crying out for #GavinandStacey to be removed because they say it’s racist. The world has gone MAD! It’ll be #CarryOnfilms next. No WAY is Gavin & Stacey racist!! No way!!!!”

Is editing the answer?

And one fan had a different solution.

“I’m not about banning or censorship. But I do think that certain shows like #GavinandStacey #TheFlintstones #fawltytowers etc. should be edited to meet modern BBFC rules on the use of the N word etc. To allow for a PG or 12 rating. This shouldn’t be controversial!” they wrote.

What do you think? Is it right to take some shows off the airwaves or has it now gone too far? Go to our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyfix and leave a comment to let us know.