Comic Relief co-founder Lenny Henry comes out to defend the charity amid Stacey Dooley 'white saviour' row and jokes David Lammy might say 'Screw you, white people' at fundraising gig
Comic Relief co-founder Lenny Henry broke his silence on the Stacey Dooley 'white saviour' row last night after joking that David Lammy might say 'screw you, white people'.
Sir Lenny, who has been involved with the charity since its inception in 1985, made the gag at last night's Comic Relief Spectacular fundraiser at Wembley Arena.
The comedian spoke of his pride at his association with the charitable cause, before making a joke at the Labour MP's expense following his row with Ms Dooley.
It comes after fans rallied around Ms Dooley, who was accused by Mr Lammy of trying to make herself look like a 'heroine' and a 'white saviour' during her trip.
The 31-year-old investigative reporter and Strictly winner had posted an image of herself with a Ugandan child while filming for the fundraising drive.
Television presenter Trisha Goddard accused her of using 'Kardashian' words and sharing 'disturbing' images as she also spoke on the Comic Relief row.
Earlier this week, Mr Lammy left her and thousands of others stunned when he took aim at Ms Dooley on Twitter and said her trip was 'perpetuating colonialism'.
After many questioned whether or not they should be making donations to the charity, the Ugandan High Commissioner said the nation 'needs Comic Relief'.
Peter Moto told This Morning that UK aid helped to fun the provision of education, the health sector, governance and refugees in northern Uganda. However, he added Ugandans would prefer the children not to be on social media.
He said: 'Stacey did a great job. Comic Relief is doing a good job. We are not comfortable with pictures of children on social media.
'There is nothing wrong with what Comic Relief is doing but we felt a little uncomfortable with the social media.
If it is about an object like a village school or health centre we have no problem but we want to protect the interests of children on social media.
He added: 'We need the donations. We need people to co-operate with Comic Relief.'. Earlier on Good Morning Britain, Trisha Goddard waded into the debate and compared the image captioned 'ob. sessssed' to the Kardashians.
The former talk show host, who is now based in the US, said: 'What jumped out at me was underneath it is said 'obsessed'in that Kardashian thing. 'I found that disturbing. She's done some great things. She has done some great work.
'We haven't seen the film Stacey has done. It may be local heroes and heroines in the area.
'Saying obsessed - that's what Kardashians say about shoes. I had part of my childhood in east Africa; I understand what people are trying to do.
'There are thousands of remarks. A lot of them are saying "Stacey I love your work but I don't like this".'. In response, Stacey's friend and broadcaster Edward Adoo called Trisha's argument 'pointless'.
Praising the investigative reporter, he said: 'Stacey champions the underdog. 'In terms of diversity she has done great things. I was enraged with [Mr Lammy's] tweet. He was given the opportunity to go and he didn't.
'This is creating charitable racism; saying, for example, if it's an eastern European charity we'll get eastern Europeans to do it or if it is an African charity we'll get Africans to do it. 'It's about people doing something for each other.
Sorry Trisha she's got the word "obsessed" on her Instagram – it [your argument] doesn't make sense. She has a voice like all of us.'. The row began when the Labour MP for Tottenham said that Stacey's image was 'perpetuating colonialism'.
Addressing Miss Dooley directly on Twitter, he said: 'This isn't personal and I don't question your good motives.
'My problem with British celebrities being flown out by Comic Relief to make these films is that it sends a distorted image of Africa which perpetuates an old idea from the colonial era.
Miss Dooley replied: 'Is the issue with me being white? (Genuine question). because if that's the case, you could always go over there and try raise awareness [sic]?. 'I saw projects that were saving lives with the money.
Mr Lammy added that it's 'complacent to suggest that colonial attitudes are dead', and pointed to the Oxfam scandal, where white aid workers volunteering in Haiti sexually exploited women living in desperate poverty.
Lammy said comments showed she had failed 'to educate herself', adding on BBC News' Victoria Derbyshire show: 'Her Instagram conveys the age-old trope that is her as the heroine and the black child as the victim and we have to stop it'.
He added: 'The image is a perpetual image of people who are impoverished, who need white celebrities. 'It keeps the continent of Africa poor. It keeps people in their place'.
When asked if the row is because she is white, he added: 'That suggests that she [Stacey] doesn't understand the issues.
'That's part of the problem. Despite the fact she has power and agency she's not sought to educate herself about the issues'.
He was also later confronted on ITV's This Morning about snubbing Comic Relief's Africa invitation and said: 'I don't accept that. 'Comic Relief wanted me to be part of their PR machine and I'm not prepared to do that.
'What I said to Comic Relief is "let's wait and see what this year's Comic Relief is like".
He also said that Comic Relief, which has raised more than £1billion for poor communities in Britain and abroad in the past 30 years, is 'tired and outdated' and needs to 'change the record and grow up'.
Its founders including Lenny Henry and Richard Curtis are yet to speak out but a spokesman made no apologies for Miss Dooley's work in Uganda.
Mr Lammy denied that he wanted Comic Relief scrapped but said it should move away from sending white celebrities to African villages as colonial-type saviours.
He said: 'The BBC, which has a responsibility to educate, which has a responsibility for multi-culturalism and equality, is failing if it allows Comic Relief, and Richard Curtis, effectively, just to sit back, with the same old white privilege, and the same old comedians raking in money for what purpose?.
'I saw for what purpose because Comic Relief doesn't need to exist'. The war of words between the London MP, the charity and Miss Dooley has now rumbled on for 48 hours.
Strictly star, Miss Dooley is in Africa filming for the charity and posted pictures on Instagram of local women dancing and of children hugging her.
However, the Tottenham MP accused Miss Dooley of showing a 'distorted image of Africa' and perpetuating a 'colonial era' mentality that suggests white people are the solution to poverty in deprived parts of the world.
Mr Lammy, 46, acknowledged Miss Dooley's 'good motives' but bemoaned the British celebrity trope of travelling to Africa to film charity appeals.
Miss Dooley, whose documentary focuses on Malaria and neonatal clinics, responded to the MPs twitter remarks and highlighted the £1billion raised by Comic Relief since it was founded in 1985 by the comedian Lenny Henry.
Writing on social media, Mr Lammy said: 'The world doesn't need anymore white saviours. As I've said before, this just perpetuates tired and unhelpful stereotypes.'. The MP added: 'Let's promote voices from across the continent of Africa and have a serious debate.
Liz Warner, CEO of Comic Relief, said the organisation had taken its 'first steps' towards change after Mr Lammy slammed the charity for portraying Africa as a continent of poverty-stricken victims and stereotypes.
Aid watchdog SAIH also criticised a video of pop star Sheeran meeting a street boy in Liberia and offering to pay for his housing.
Ms Warner said Comic Relief had replaced celebrity storytellers with Africans, following a record-breaking 24-hour telethon that raised £55.
Celebrities who have played their part in Comic Relief fundraising with trips to Africa - including Ed Sheeran's film branded 'poverty porn' by aid watchdog.
In 2017 Ed Sheeran's comic relief trip to Monrovia, Liberia, was met with controversy after he offered to pay for five homeless orphans he had met to stay in a hotel for the night.
Reduced to tears after hearing the young boys stories of sleeping rough and being beaten and raped by older men Ed turned to the camera and said: 'Once we're done here we're going to pack up the camera and these guys are gonna to be sleeping in a canoe with a lot of dangerous people about.
'Really does not feel right leaving at all. I mean, the only thing you can do is help them, which we should.
My natural instinct is to just put them in a car and just take them and just put them in a hotel until we can get them sorted.
As the star looked around at the camera crew, he asked: 'Can we do that?. 'Can I pay to put them in a house until we get them in a school?.
'It doesn't matter how much it costs can we just get him and his five mates in a house with an older person to look after them?. 'I don't think we can go until that's sorted.
Ed was accused of 'poverty porn' by aid watchdog Radi-Aid awards who awarded the film of the trip for 'most offensive' campaigns of 2017.
MailOnline tracked down orphan JD, whose plight had particularly affected Ed, and found that the boy had been living safely in a house with a woman he calls 'ma' and his four friends since the millionaire musician's intervention.
JD, who claimed he was 14 but appeared younger, said: 'If I had not met Ed, I would still be on the streets and sleeping in canoes on the beach. I wouldn't have anyone to care for me.'.