Jimmy Carr knows a thing or two about controversy. Think of the time, earlier this year, when a chronically ill-judged Holocaust joke about the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community saw him showered with condemnation. Or when he joked about Reeva Steenkamp’s murder at the 2014 Q Awards. Or his infamous tax avoidance scandal. All this might make him seem like an apt choice to host Channel 4’s new programme, Jimmy Carr Destroys Art. But is he?
The TV special, airing tonight, sees the lewd-lipped comedian debate the moral merits of selected artworks created by “problematic artists”. Under the spotlight: Adolf Hitler. Convicted paedophile Rolf Harris. Sculptor and incestuous abuser Eric Gill. And Pablo Picasso, whose historical treatment of women has come under increased scrutiny in recent years. Jimmy Carr Destroys Art might sound like the hooky title of a YouTube compilation video – “Jimmy Carr DESTROYS heckler” or “Jimmy Carr EVISCERATES [minority group of choice]” – but it turns out it’s quite literal. After Carr and his guests are done discussing a piece of art, a studio audience votes whether or not he should demolish it right there and then. Even without Carr’s involvement, the whole enterprise would seem like what it is: a gimmick. But selecting Carr to serve as arbiter-cum-executioner is like letting Boris Johnson chair a seminar on the value of honesty.
