League of Gentleman starring Chorley's Steve Pemberton is pulled from Netflix amid concerns over 'blackface'

The streaming giant said it has removed the series from its service due to Papa Lazarou - a creepy, carnivalesque character portrayed by Reece Shearsmith wearing black face paint.

It follows the purging of other British comedy shows from streaming and catch-up services, including Little Britain, Bo' Selecta and The Mighty Boosh in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests.

The move by Netflix has put pressure on the BBC to follow suit, but the League of Gentlemen’s three series and specials remain on its iPlayer and the broadcaster has confirmed that there are no plans to remove it.

On Tuesday, the BBC - alongside Netflix and Britbox - removed Little Britain and its follow-up Come Fly With Me, due to concerns about the use of blackface by stars David Walliams and Matt Lucas.

A spokesperson for the BBC said that the show had been removed because “times have changed”.

"There’s a lot of historical programming available on BBC iPlayer, which we regularly review," said the broadcaster.

"Times have changed since Little Britain first aired so it is not currently available on BBC iPlayer.”

Papa Lazarou – described by the Guardian as a “blacked-up ringmaster who calls everybody Dave” – is reported to have been inspired by an eccentric former landlord of the show’s creators Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith.

In previous interviews, Shearsmith has denied the character is supposed to portray a black man, but critics have accused the show of "harking back to the ugly legacy of minstrelsy".

In an interview with the Independent, Reece Shearsmith, who plays Lazarou, said: "It was not me doing a black man. It was always this clown-like make-up and we just came up with what we thought was the scariest idea to have in a sort of Child Catcher-like way.

"And I don’t think we ever had any complaints."

Channel 4 has also removed Bo Selecta from its All4 streaming service after comedian Leigh Francis shared a video online in which he made a tearful apology for his impersonations of black celebrities including Mel B, Craig David and Trisha Goddard.