It's 2016 but a Singaporean TV show put an actor in blackface

Oh boy, what was Mediacorp thinking?

In an episode of the Singapore national broadcaster's web drama I Want To Be A Star, an actor was put in blackface with an afro wig for comic effect.

The script also reportedly contained numerous racial slurs. For example, the plot involved a casting director searching for an African actor, to which a character suggested hiring an Indian actor instead, because "they're all the same."

Eventually, another character, played by Chinese actor Shane Pow, was made to stand in for the African actor with black face paint and an afro wig.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Later, another character is shown to be afraid of Pow in blackface, because she mistakes him for being African.

Twitter users have slammed Mediacorp for the episode, which has been available online for nearly a month.

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Mediacorp removed the episode on Wednesday and apologised, as backlash continued to build online.

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