Baadasss TV

Baadasss TV was a British television series, devoted to youth-oriented fashion and culture, which aired on Channel 4 in 1994. The series, presented by Andi Oliver and American rapper Ice-T, was "the first British series to explore the wilder side of black culture".[1]

The show was made by the production company Rapido TV, also responsible for Eurotrash and Passengers.[2] It broke the mould of "po-faced" minority programming such as the BBC's Ebony.[3] As well as an appearance of Lee 'Scratch' Perry, the show featured "soft-pornography, rapping dwarves, paintings made from elephant droppings and fitness fanatics Juicy Julia and the Raggaerobics crew".

Some commentators critized Baadasss TV as a "sterotyped freak show".[3] Trevor Phillips, then a LWT producer, attacked the programme as "just another nigger mistrel show",[4] reinforcing black stereotypes of 'gangsters, pimps, whores and freaks'.[1] However, the show had its defenders. Patrick Younge, producer of the very different 1995 magazine show Black Britain, argued that the real problem was a broader lack of television aimed at black audiences:

The real trouble is that [Baadasss TV is] the only black programme on TV. It does what it does well - if it was part of a whole spectrum of shows, people wouldn't have a problem with it.[3]

In 1996 Baadasss TV was "taken off the air for its lack of political correctness".[1]

References
  1. Raymond Enisuoh (2002). "Baadass TV". In Alison Donnell (ed.). Companion to Contemporary Black British Culture. Routledge. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-134-70025-7.
  2. Richard Morais (1 October 1995). "Bad Taste, with a Twist". International Documentary Association. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  3. Decca Aitkenhead (6 July 1992). "BBC tries to vault the ghetto walls with black news". The Independent. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  4. Stewart Lee (26 May 1995). "Ice-T". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
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