The depiction happened in the 1990s
Former Nottingham Forest footballer Jason Lee has spoken out about his disappointment that he is yet to receive a personal apology from comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner for Baddiel’s use of blackface to impersonate him during the 1990s.
The racist portrayal was aired on BBC show Fantasy Football League, a football/comedy chat show which ran for three seasons.
Baddiel would portray Lee as a slow-witted man, with a pineapple atop his head to depict Lee’s hairstyle, while Skinner would put on a strong Northern accent to portray Lee’s manager at the time, Frank Clark.
Lee has long spoken of his disappointment at Baddiel and Skinner, who are best known for their role in the 1996 song Three Lions, which features the iconic line “It’s Coming Home” and rose to prominence during the 2018 World Cup.
“You wouldn’t be able to blackface now, that’s crazy.”
Former footballer Jason Lee has spoken out about his racist portrayal on ‘90s TV show Fantasy Football League. pic.twitter.com/dmgu939dHJ
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) June 30, 2020
The issue has now been raised again in light of a wider discussion about the offensive depiction of black people in wider entertainment, and Britain’s reckoning with the fact that it might actually be a racist country.
While Baddiel has expressed regret at portraying Lee in such a manner, he has yet to apologise to him personally.
