Is Lenny Henry an Uncle Tom?

Burning Spear · (#1 (**permalink**))

How is he viewed by Blacks in the UK?

Is he a comic genius with a long career? Or someone who will stoop to any level to get a laugh?

markee · (#2 (**permalink**))

I put Lenny Henry in withthe other clowns like Ainsley Harriot and Chris Eubank

Mokele Mbembe · (#3 (**permalink**))

Even though I am told he is responsible for and was the driving force behind a lot of black comedy shows like Real McCoy and A force and so on and all his charity work aside...

He also is supposed to have opened many doors for other blacks to find a way in to the media however....

He makes jokes at the expense of black people to impress his white audience and sends up the worst stereotypes of us for their amusement. For those reasons yes I would call him a sellout.

Lenny and his wife

Mokele Mbembe · (#4 (**permalink**))

And when he does that act of the West African family in the worst accents since Taye Diggs and buffonery? What about when he is a sex crazed American with a lusting for white women??

Not funny man...

Most black comedians explore their race and upbringing in their acts, that is not strange but the difference with him is that he does it seemingly to mock and remove himself as opposed to cherishing what/who he is.

I could be wrong

obal85 · (#5 (**permalink**))

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Someone please helppp me, i cannot breatheee. I am choking.

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cake · (#6 (**permalink**))

DrunkMonkey wrote:

Quote:

Even though I am told he is responsible for and was the driving force behind a lot of black comedy shows like Real McCoy and A force and so on and all his charity work aside...

He also is supposed to have opened many doors for other blacks to find a way in to the media however....

He makes jokes at the expense of black people to impress his white audience and sends up the worst stereotypes of us for their amusement. For those reasons yes I would call him a sellout.

Lenny and his wife

Quote:

Not quite a Lenny Fan but did enjoy the Real McCoy. Not only did itshow off sometalentedactors, but as a Black person you were able to identify with the characters/comedy contextas the script was not watered down or exaggerated to appeal to a White audience. It was also refreshing as up to that point Black British comedy had been monopolized by Lenny Henry, who did not do muchjustice in his portrayal of Black people. He created his characters to appeal to the White audiencewhich not only did I not find entertaining but they were a re-enforcementofBlack stereotypes. I remember when I was a kid at school, the older White kids use to run behind the Black kids "shouting 'OKkkk... condense milk and bread"). (obviously mimicking Lenny's cathphrase andportrayal of a Rasta (in the 80's) going around eating condense milk and bread with a tea cosy on his head!!). I've never once seen a rasta act in such a way!! It so happened that it was hisWhite wife Dawn French, who pointed out to him that his characters werestereotyping black people, it was only then he changed is style of comedy. Anyway, going back to the Real McCoy, was a shame that they discontinuedthe programme. I don't suppose they will ever show any repeats, and if they did the the BBC would most probably schedule the showings late at night on BBC 2 ( as they do with most black programmes)when most people are asleep!!

Ps. Does anyone remember, The Fosters, Empire Rd, Mixed Blessing, an No Problem?? (Lennystarred as the late Norman Betons teenage sonin the Fosters) Thinking back, I wonder if theBBC was trying to create a UK version of 'The Jeffersons'

(showing my age here, however I was only a kid when these shows were televised!!)

Sir Donald Kingsley · (#7 (**permalink**))

Quote:

I never ever found this man funny - not even one joke.

He always seemed distant from the culture that migrated here and nourished us.

Looking at the picture above, outside Buckingham Palace,it now all makes sense.

Double N · (#8 (**permalink**))

*blkwondertrying to remember when lenny henry was ever funny*

I tried for the life of me to sit thru the lenny henry show but that show was as dry as a camel's back foot in the sahara. I don't think that he's necessaril;y a sell out but I just thinnk his jokes about black life (people ) as just not funny and are off point

huzzah1 · (#9 (**permalink**))

Double N wrote:

Quote:

*blkwondertrying to remember when lenny henry was ever funny*

I tried for the life of me to sit thru the lenny henry show but that show was as dry as a camel's back foot in the sahara. I don't think that he's necessaril;y a sell out but I just thinnk his jokes about black life (people ) as just not funny and are off point

Quote:

I think most of his script writers are white, so there's only so much he can talk about.

OhnoNotAgain · (#10 (**permalink**))

he looks like a house ni*ga..cleaning and doing everything for the slave master..thyen slave master gave him his daughter

the is more tha uncle tom..does he have to imitate Nigerian accent? he probably sleeps in the same bed with that dave of trouble with ...on bbc

AQ · (#11 (**permalink**))

cake wrote:

Quote:

DrunkMonkey wrote:

Quote:

Even though I am told he is responsible for and was the driving force behind a lot of black comedy shows like Real McCoy and A force and so on and all his charity work aside...

He also is supposed to have opened many doors for other blacks to find a way in to the media however....

He makes jokes at the expense of black people to impress his white audience and sends up the worst stereotypes of us for their amusement. For those reasons yes I would call him a sellout.

Lenny and his wife

Quote:

Not quite a Lenny Fan but did enjoy the Real McCoy. Not only did itshow off sometalentedactors, but as a Black person you were able to identify with the characters/comedy contextas the script was not watered down or exaggerated to appeal to a White audience. It was also refreshing as up to that point Black British comedy had been monopolized by Lenny Henry, who did not do muchjustice in his portrayal of Black people. He created his characters to appeal to the White audiencewhich not only did I not find entertaining but they were a re-enforcementofBlack stereotypes. I remember when I was a kid at school, the older White kids use to run behind the Black kids "shouting 'OKkkk... condense milk and bread"). (obviously mimicking Lenny's cathphrase andportrayal of a Rasta (in the 80's) going around eating condense milk and bread with a tea cosy on his head!!). I've never once seen a rasta act in such a way!! It so happened that it was hisWhite wife Dawn French, who pointed out to him that his characters werestereotyping black people, it was only then he changed is style of comedy. Anyway, going back to the Real McCoy, was a shame that they discontinuedthe programme. I don't suppose they will ever show any repeats, and if they did the the BBC would most probably schedule the showings late at night on BBC 2 ( as they do with most black programmes)when most people are asleep!!

Ps. Does anyone remember, The Fosters, Empire Rd, Mixed Blessing, an No Problem?? (Lennystarred as the late Norman Betons teenage sonin the Fosters) Thinking back, I wonder if theBBC was trying to create a UK version of 'The Jeffersons'

(showing my age here, however I was only a kid when these shows were televised!!)

Yes, I have to settle for my Real McCoy video if I want any chance of repeat showing. It's funny every time.

Especially the series I have containing the intro with Leo X Chester (as was) sitting in the audience and his big ole mobile rings and he proceeds to have have a conversation niceone.gif

Kunjufu · (#12 (**permalink**))

Ok I've got to leap to Lenny's defence here, whilst he will not win international black man of the year award.. no way is it fair to label him a sell out... I've seen an old interview with him talking about his career..and he admits that as a young niave comic.. He did do sell out material soon after he won the 'new faces' talent contest.. However once he was able to he did recognise it for what it was and left it behind..

I also don't think if you take the body of his work into account that he could be accused of shaming us in the vain of Frank the Plank bruno... I also saw him early this year at the WEST end doing his one man show.. and I can vouch for the fact that even though it was mainly a white audience.. He did not include compromise material in his show.. So I personally think its a little harsh to be labelling the man sell out.. Especially when their were other Black Comedian of his time who did sell out big time..

Think Charlie William (if you remember him) he was from Barnsley in Yorkshire, in fact I think he's a director of that footbal club.. Plus there was that other Black comedian who often appeared with Mike & bernie Winters and Jim Davidson (sorry can't remember his name) who used to do awful race jokes.. Also remember at that time we were curse with sit coms like 'Love thy neighbour' and even worse 'Mind your language'.. (you might still catch these dinosaurs on cable somewhere).. considering that these were the standard of the time.. Lenny did well not to get sucked into that crap..so give the man some credit please...