CENSORS have given the hit comedy a 15 rating but children as young as 4 are driving teachers mad with catchphrases from Little Britain.

Research for Radio Times has found that the post-watershed comedy is watched by 280,000 10 to 15-year-olds. The audience for the last BBC One series also included 86,000 viewers aged between 4 and 9.

Primary school playgrounds across Britain have become a cacophony of wannabe Vicki Pollards and boys declaring themselves “the only gay in the village”. Stores stocking up with copies of the Little Britain DVD boxed set, released next week, are being reminded not to sell it to children.

The British Board of Film Classification has given the DVD and video set of the first two series a 15 rating, citing “moderate language and comic sex references” but many believe the restriction is an over-reaction to an acclaimed series and a sell-out live tour.

The show’s stars are unapologetic. David Walliams told the magazine: “Little Britain is not designed for children, it’s not meant for them, but it’s great that they love it. When I was at school I was watching The Young Ones. I was probably about 12 and The Young Ones wasn’t meant for 12-year-olds, but there’s always that element in kids where they want to watch the naughty comedy that’s not for them.”

His co-star, Matt Lucas, admitted that some schools were unhappy with the way children were copying the characters. “Watching Little Britain was affecting how the kids behaved in school,” he said. “They were doing the catchphrases and coming out with rude jokes.” But Tim Benson, of the National Association of Head Teachers, admitted that teachers have begun imitating the characters. He said: “I use Vicky Pollard in my own school. If you’ve seen a child do something and they go straight into denial, I say to them sometimes, ‘Yeah but no but yeah.’ They look at me, grin and say, ‘OK sir, yeah, it was me’.” The third series, beginning a post- 9pm BBC One run this month, makes few concessions to a family audience as Daffyd proves a hit down the mine when he begins a new career as a rent boy.

The series as been a huge commercial success for the BBC with the first series becoming the corporation’s best-selling DVD last year, selling 1.3 million copies.

Last month Walliams and Lucas started a 100-show nationwide tour based on the series and almost 200,000 tickets were snapped up in a single day.

Radio Times research showed Little Britain is second only to The Simpsons in a poll of children’s favourite comedies. My Family, The Green Green Grass and The Vicar of Dibley were also named in the survey of 2,000 6 to 16-year-olds.

Ant and Dec topped the list of funniest television stars, followed by Matt Lucas and David Walliams, Peter Kay, Rowan Atkinson and Ali G.

CHILDREN’S FAVOURITE COMEDY

1 The Simpsons
2 Little Britain
3 My Family
4 The Green Green Grass
5 The Vicar of Dibley

FUNNIEST TV STARS

1 Ant and Dec
2 Matt Lucas and David Walliams
3 Peter Kay
4 Rowan Atkinson
5 Ali G

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