Meghan Markle portrayed as 'trailer trash' American who threatens to stab Kate Middleton in new BBC comedy
The BBC is facing heavy backlash from the masses in connection to a new comedy it is set to air on Sunday, June 23, which seems to portray the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle as a "trailer trash" American who threatens to stab Kate Middleton in a jealous rage.
The BBC Two program, named 'Tonight With Vladimir Putin', is a spoof chat show that uses performance capture technology to turn comedians into 3D digital characters and has been described by the network as "semi-scripted", according to a report by the Telegraph.
Two pilot episodes have been commissioned so far, with each featuring Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is voiced by comedian Natt Tapley, interviewing guests such as Alastair Campbell and June Sarpong.
Both episodes are scheduled to air on June 23, with one featuring what is turning out to be a heavily controversial segment titled 'Meghan Markle's Royal Sparkle' that sees actress and comedian Gbemisola Ikunelo bring out a nasty side of the Duchess.
In the segment, Meghan takes questions from a live studio audience and reacts in the most uncharacteristic manner. When asked, "What makes you angry?", she replies with a scenario that involves Kate asking to borrow her hairbrush.
"I say no because that's gross and then I leave my room and come back and I can tell she's used my hairbrush anyway because it's covered in skanky hair that’s going grey and I say, 'Stay the f--- out of my trailer or I'll cut you, Kate,'" she screams.
When she is questioned what it was like being married to Harry by another audience member, Meghan says, "I'm just wondering why you're so interested there, missy? I mean, what's that about? Do you have a problem with me and Harry? Are you trying to lay claim to my man?" before going on to challenge the member to a fight.
The segment also sees Meghan claim she was making an appearance to "to get to know you, the United British of Kingdom people" and made fun of the Duchess' estranged relationship with her father, Thomas Markle. This has not gone down well with audiences.
A BBC spokesperson defended the program and said, "Viewers will clearly recognize this performance as a spoof and highly satirical, within the context of a program which lampoons a wide range of public figures and the public's perception of them."
It was a view that Ikunelo stressed on as well and said she conceived the character as the opposite of how the Duchess behaves. "Anybody who has seen anything of Meghan Markle in public will know that she seems incredibly agreeable and friendly, always smiling," she said.
"So I was interested in finding humor in the ridiculous… What if somebody who seems super lovely in public actually has a really mean streak? What would that look like? So I introduced an over-the-top, shouty, hill-billy drawl."
Ikunelo also defended how angry Meghan came across as in the segment. "If a character I chose to play happens to be angry in a moment, I'm okay with it," she argued, adding "Because black people and people of color are entitled to the whole spectrum of emotions being human demands."
"So I’m done censoring legit choices and feelings because someone might misinterpret me as an angry black woman. That trope belongs to the media, not to black women."