Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

[Guy Profumo]

Seen here in a rare photograph from early in their career(s), when they also appeared with their good friend, Gary Wilmot -



(Source: ITV news)

[Bored Of Education]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

I can't even bring myself to ask what this is about.

[Guy Profumo]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

ITV news have illustrated an item about Lenny Henry receiving his knighthood with footage of Ainsley Harriott.

[Bored Of Education]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

I have to say that, upon consideration, is this just a similar case to the Jocky Wilson/Jackie Wilson TOTP fuck-up with Dexy's Midnight Runners or when people say that they can't tell Ant and Dec apart but we are more alerted to it because they are black. I mean they genuinely look nothing like each other. As someone pointed out their surnames are very close alphabetically.

Mind you, that does suggest they have have a system that has files in order of skin colour and then alphabetical.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

Bored of Education wrote: I have to say that, upon consideration, is this just a similar case to the Jocky Wilson/Jackie Wilson TOTP fuck-up with Dexy's Midnight Runners …

It wasn't a fuck-up. It was Kevin Rowland's idea.

[Dalef65]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

Guy Potger wrote: ITV news have illustrated an item about Lenny Henry receiving his knighthood with footage of Ainsley Harriott.

Ok, but why the daft photo..?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

Lenny Henry did play "Chef" ...

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

[Gerontophile]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

Surely, Alan Davies, is white?

And it wasn't about who was the chef, it was about the twat who was the KP.

Pig's ear, either way.

[Satchmo Distel]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

Did a TV impressionist once do an extremely unwise racist impression of Harriott? Henry of course had "previous" from doing African caricatures on OTT, although he was simply being extremely naive rather than racist.

[Come along, Min]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

It was common for parents and grandparents to call him Lenry Henry when I grew up.

I didn't mind his Delroy wotisname character when I was younger, apart from that, he's pretty poor.

[Jah Womble]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

Satchmo Distel wrote: Did a TV impressionist once do an extremely unwise racist impression of Harriott? Henry of course had "previous" from doing African caricatures on OTT, although he was simply being extremely naive rather than racist.

I guy with whom I used to work was also one of Lenny Henry's writers - he was certainly still doing all that 'Katanga!' stuff into the millennium.

[Bored Of Education]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

Stumpy Pepys wrote:

I have to say that, upon consideration, is this just a similar case to the Jocky Wilson/Jackie Wilson TOTP fuck-up with Dexy's Midnight Runners …

It wasn't a fuck-up. It was Kevin Rowland's idea.

Really? Fucking hell, I never knew that

[Land Waster]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

Satchmo Distel wrote: Did a TV impressionist once do an extremely unwise racist impression of Harriot

Rory Bremner did at least one sketch of him. Can't remember if it caused any kind of stir, though.

[3 Colours Red]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

I actually think there was more of a furore about Bremner using ping-pong balls for Harriott's eyes than for him blacking up.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

Trois Fois Un Rouge wrote: I actually think there was more of a furore about Bremner using ping-pong balls for Harriott's eyes than for him blacking up.

I just watched it on YouTube. I don't think I've seen anything like it before.

[Land Waster]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

Rory Bremner also mimicked David Blunkett a few times. Did that cause any kind of controversy?

[Kevin S]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/itc/itc_publications/complaints_reports/programme_complaints/show_complaint.asp-prog_complaint_id=381.html

"The ITC believed that the parody of Ainsley Harriot was not racist in intention or presentation. The show parodies a wide variety of personalities and celebrities and has previously involved Rory Bremner 'blacking up' where appropriate. The chef's colour was not an issue in the sketch."

[Kevin S]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

I doubt they'd conclude it wasn't racist in presentation of it happened now. Indeed it's surprising they came to this conclusion only, what, 12 years ago?

[Guy Profumo]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

Dalef65 wrote:

ITV news have illustrated an item about Lenny Henry receiving his knighthood with footage of Ainsley Harriott.

Ok, but why the daft photo..?

[Anorak Smith]

Lenny Henry and Ainsley Harriott

I keep reading this topic and thinking about a tv show that's on BBC2 of a morning; Len and Ainsley's Big Food Adventure.

The basic premise is that Len Goodman, being a proper old cockerney geezer, has only ever eaten Fish and Chips, and doesn't like any of that 'foreign muck' (that might not be an actual quote, but it's the gist of the series).

So Ainsley takes him around the various ethnic backwaters of Britain, presenting dishes and locals to Sir Len of Goodman, which Len initially turns his nose up at, but then, surprise, surprise, actually quite likes.

I always get the feeling Len would rather be eating chips.