The Mighty Boosh

In more signs that the times, they are a-changin’, streaming services have recently been purging themselves of movies and shows that depict racist or otherwise problematic characters. The latest such shift comes from Netflix, which has yanked British comedy show The Mighty Boosh because of a blackface character named The Spirit of Jazz. Portrayed by Noel Fielding (co-presenter on The Great British Bakeoff), The Spirit of Jazz appeared in a handful of episodes during The Mighty Boosh’s three-series run from 2004 to 2007. Described as the ghost of Howlin’ Jimmy Jefferson, the character saw Fielding painting his face black with white skeleton-like highlights, speaking in a New Orleans accent, and wearing a dreadlocked wig under a tall, white top hat. It’s far from the only problemat...