So... The villains are anyone who simply acted in a socially acceptable manner for the period in which they lived?
I don't know that that's what's being said. In the case presented, he was the villain of Thin Ice, and he did, indeed, act in accordance with the social norms. Not only most white's attitude toward people of color, but his upper class (twit) upbringing gave him an air of superiority.
I do see the point being made, which is that we seem to have - for about a couple of decades - started painting people differently for entertainment, so as to not offend too many people, villains and heroes alike. The first time it came to my attention in any real capacity was when The Patriot was released, and Gibson's character was merely "based on" a historical character, since the original character was a slave owning murderous bastard, and that wouldn't have brought in audiences. Some Civil War era movies have downplayed the treatment of the enslaved in the South, so as to not offend Southern viewers, but also not to shock others (other movies, like 12 Years A Slave, have shown the full brutality of their treatment, which is more realistic and authentic).
It would be educational to jump forward a century or two to see how they judge us, our actions and our contemporary global society. Not to mention the actions and views of certain show-runners for the BBC. It might well turn out that we're not as civilized or morally superior as we'd like to think we are...
When I was still blogging, I had planned on writing a piece about viewing classic movies, television and literature with a modern bias. Case in point, my favorite movie is Casablanca, and I have friends who think me wrong for liking it because Louis - a reluctant hero of the film - is a rapist. I had never looked at it as such, and it did sort of mar how I see the character now, but it doesn't ruin the movie for me, or his actions in the end. It was a different time, with different social mores. We can't edit history simply because it doesn't fit with the current world view, or may be inflammatory.
That being said, if you look at the shit show that my country has elected to office, I think I'm pretty damned civilized and morally superior.