Mansfield's Conservative MP says people attending a party fundraiser featuring controversial comedian Jim Davidson will know what they are "signing up to." An advert has recently been circulating on social media for an evening hosted by Mansfield MP Ben Bradley and Ashfield MP Lee Anderson, with entertainment from stand-up comedian and presenter Jim Davidson.
Mr Davidson was particularly well-known during the 80s and 90s but in recent years, his jokes on subjects including race and the victims of rape have attracted criticism. His recent television appearances have included being named winner of Celebrity Big Brother in 2014, and being disqualified from the 2007 series of Hell's Kitchen for homophobic comments.
The event at which he will be performing in Nottinghamshire is set to be hosted on October 7 at an unknown venue, with tickets costing £50. The evening is described as a dinner with Mr Bradley and Mr Anderson and is being organised by the Ashfield and Mansfield Conservatives.
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The advert for the event was only supposed to be circulated among local members of the Conservative Party, but the evening has provoked some criticism since it was circulated online. Former Ashfield independent councillor David Hennigan described the evening on Twitter as a "back to the seventies night" and, in reference to Lee Anderson's previous comments on the cost of food, he wrote: "tickets £50 at 30p a meal - only room for 33,200 people."
Worksop Labour councillor Alan Rhodes wrote: "Three comedians for the price of one!" But speaking about the event, Ben Bradley said: "It's something that Lee is organising with Jim and we're going to host it together.
"I'm the first to recognise that Jim Davidson is not everybody's cup of tea, he definitely isn't, but equally it's a private event and for anybody who doesn't think it's right or appropriate or who doesn't want to attend, obviously they won't attend.
"I would have thought those people who were coming and paying to go to an event like that would know what they were getting and understand what they were signing up to. I've worked with Jim Davidson for quite a while, he was the chief executive of a charity in Nottinghamshire called Care After Combat, focused on veterans' support, and I've done a number of fundraisers with them."
The advert for October's event features bank transfer details for those wishing to attend, with the evening also set to feature additional live entertainment. Those wishing to attend are told to include the name of each of their guests in the payment reference in order to secure tickets.
Ben Bradley added: "We live in a world where anything you say is always inappropriate or offensive to somebody. I know he's not everybody's cup of tea but if he's not your cup of tea, don't come - it's about as straightforward as that as far as I'm concerned.
"Anybody who is high profile inevitably always has things they've said at various points that have caused controversy or that some people have been upset by, it's the way of the world these days. But my simple message is if you want to come, and you know what you're getting into, then come and it will be great to raise the money for a really positive general election campaign. If you don't want to come or you don't think you'll enjoy it, then don't come."
One of Mr Davidson's last live performances in Nottinghamshire was at the Newark Palace Theatre in 2007, when the Nottingham Post reported on controversy caused by a joke he made about rape. In an interview with the Nottingham Post ahead of those shows, he said: "I think the perception of me is terrible.
"It's frustrating that some people have made their minds up without knowing anything about me. It's very easy to brand someone as sexist, homophobic, or racist without ever listening to what they're saying."
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