Editor-at-large Dorothy Byrne says cleaning up archive erases evidence of past social attitudes
Channel 4 has said it will remove offensive programmes from its on-demand archive only in exceptional circumstances, preferring instead to add warnings.
The channel will announce this week details of a review of its principles for addressing or removing historical content now deemed potentially offensive. It follows high-profile cases such as Netflix’s removal of shows including Little
Britain, The Mighty Boosh and The League of Gentlemen because of the use of blackface. In the US,
HBO initially removed Gone With the Wind before returning it with an introductory warning stating that it “denies the horrors of slavery”.