‘It’s about accountability,’ Graham Norton slams John Cleese’s ‘cancel culture’ rants

Graham Norton says it must be hard for John Cleese to accept he is accountable for what he says

(Picture: ES Composite)

Graham Norton has responded to John Cleese’s complaints about cancel culture.

The Monty Python comedian has become known for complaining about “cancel culture” and “woke” values.

Earlier this week, the 82-year-old was announced as the presenter of a new show on conservative media channel GB News, which will be co-hosted by comedian Andrew Doyle.

He told Radio 4’s Today on Monday that he signed up with the broadcaster because it purports to be focused on “free speech” and is against "cancel culture".

Norton has said Cleese is only complaining because he is no longer able to say whaterver he wants with impunity (PA)

During a recent appearance at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Norton reportedly responded: “The word [cancel] is the wrong word,” he began. “I think the word should be ‘accountability’.

“John Cleese has been very public recently about complaining about what you can’t say.

“It must be very hard to be a man of a certain age who’s been able to say whatever he likes for years, and now suddenly there’s some accountability.”

He added to the Telegraph: “It’s free speech, but not consequence-free. I’m aware of the things I say.”

Cleese, alongside Taylor Swift and Kevin Pietersen, on the Graham Norton show in 2014 when he last appeared (PA)

Cancel culture is the practice of withdrawing support for (cancelling) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive. The practice, which is generally performed on social media, has become a top right-wing talking point.

Cleese, who has appeared on The Graham Norton Show several times, has also claimed that he’s “given up on” television.

Cleese, pictured with Fawlty Towers co-star Bernard Cribbins in the BBC comedy in the 1970s, said he would not appear on a new programme with the broadcaster now (Handout)

He also announced that he wouldn’t accept the offer of a programme on the BBC if it was offered to him.

He told Today: “The BBC have not come to me and said, ‘Would you like to have some one-hour shows?’ and if they did, I would say, ‘Not on your nelly!’

“I wouldn’t get five minutes into the first show before I’d been cancelled or censored.”

(L-R) Monty Python stars, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin, Cleese, Eric Idle, John Oliver, and Terry Jones backstage at the Monty Python and the Holy Grail screening at 2015’s Tribeca Film Festival (Getty)

Last year, it was announced that he would be producing a documentary with Channel 4 titled Cancel Me, which promises to explore “why a new ‘woke’ generation is trying to rewrite the rules on what can and can’t be said”.

There’s no confirmed air date for the programme.