A TRAILER for a film from the creators of Wallace and Gromit and featuring star actor Hugh Grant has been criticised by a Peterborough-based charity for being insensitive to leprosy sufferers.
The Leprosy Mission England and Wales (TLMEW), based in Goldhay Way, Orton Goldhay, has hit out at the trailer for the latest Aardman Animations production, Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists.
The trailer for the film, due to be released in March, shows a pirate captain, voiced by Hugh Grant, arrive at a so-called “leper boat” demanding gold.
He is then told by a crew member that there is nobody on board as it is a leper boat, at which point the man’s arm falls off.
Peter Walker, national director of TLMEW, said: “The word leper is derogatory, outdated and is associated with someone who has been rejected, ostracised, or regarded as an outcast.
“They have also ensured that facts do not get in the way of their story by portraying a totally erroneous aspect of leprosy. The misnomer that body parts fall off those affected comes despite the wealth of educational information coming from TLMEW and other leprosy organisations.”
TLMEW has called for the scene to be removed from the film – which also stars Salma Hayek and Martin Freeman – and for an apology from the makers.
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