I’m currently playing the smallest violin in the world for yet another comedian who has complained about a non-existent cancel culture. Frankie Boyle – who thinks jokes about disabled children are funny – claimed he’s now “afraid” to post controversial gags online in case they cause backlash.
Far from being cancelled following his digs at then eight-year-old Harvey Price a few years ago, he was given his own show on the BBC. If that’s being cancelled, sign me up.
Frankie revealed he regularly stops himself from posting controversial jokes on social media, stating: “I now think of things and just don’t put them down.”
That sounds like engaging your brain and using better judgement. But he’s going with the false narrative of being scared to offend for fear of it ending his career.
He joins Ricky Gervais and Rowan Atkinson in a growing list of comics who like to moan about being ostracised while promoting their multimillion-pound projects.
Sixty-one-year-old manbaby Ricky proclaimed he wanted to get cancelled (yawn) with his stand-up show SuperNature on Netflix but wasn’t. In fact, he’s just finished filming a follow-up.
Far from causing uproar, people just didn’t seem that bothered. But the routine didn’t go down as well as his past stand-ups and one critic described it as “a last gasp from a failing comedian” while another called it “lazy and unamusing."
Perhaps he should have stuck to being funny instead of fighting an imaginary war on woke. Then there’s long-time free speech defender Atkinson, aka Mr Bean, who said: “It’s the job of comedy to offend.”
And there was me thinking it was supposed to make me laugh. I’m no stick-in-the-mud but, as someone who lived through the Roy “Chubby” Brown and Jim Davidson era, I know that certain “jokes” trickle down from the stage to the workplace and the playground.
When you’re from a minority group, you are often the butt of them but I guess middle-aged white men don’t have to worry about that. Personally, I’m grateful for the “PC Brigade” and that I’m no longer referred to using ugly terms that were around back in the 80s.
I’d say accountability culture – where people have to take responsibility for the language they use – is a good thing. I’ve made mistakes, tweeted inappropriately or got the tone wrong. It’s easily done but I would never deliberately set out to offend or cause harm to anyone.
The Dave Chappelles and Jimmy Carrs of the world like to punch down and, while I believe everyone has the right to have an opinion or make a gag, you don’t have the right to hurt people.
If your brand of comedy is only funny because it offends, it’s not that funny in the first place.
Comedy evolves and the days of Love Thy Neighbour and The Black And White Minstrel Show are long gone. I don’t believe in censoring old episodes of sitcoms or comedies that are now deemed as problematic. These shows should be kept in their original versions as a reminder of how bad things were.
Comedy must move with the times and blaming cancel culture for destroying it is the real joke.
Idris Elba in talks to back a £1bn bid for Channel 4
If the rumours are true, actor Idris Elba could be my new employer soon. It’s been reported the star of TV series Luther is in talks to back a £1billion bid for Channel 4 – and I’m here for it.
Following the governments recent announcement that it plans to privatise the broadcaster, there’s been uncertainty about whether it would be able to keep making the alternative programming it’s known for should it be sold off.
My feeling is that when Westminster get involved in anything to do with the arts or media, it’s a disaster so maybe Idris is the right man to save the essence of the channel.
As someone who’s starred in, directed, produced and financed TV projects, he could be the perfect person to keep it moving in the modern, groundbreaking and progressive direction it’s always traveled in.
Good Luck Idris, I’ll be more than happy to call you The Boss.
Cops must be a force for good
Strip-searching children. I was disgusted by the recent high profile case of child Q who made headlines after being strip-searched at school while menstruating without an appropriate adult being present.
She was 15 years old. It turns out that it wasn’t a one off incident, I was sickened to learn this week that the Metropolitan Police have referred another eight cases of a similar offence for independent investigation.
It was revealed that children between the ages of 10 and 12 have been subject to these kind of searches and I just can’t get my head around the mindset of the adults involved.
The police have a job to do and I have no problem with that but my son Junior is 11, he’s a baby in the grand scheme of things and kids his age must be handled with care, no matter what they’re under suspicion for.
We have to trust the police but these types of incidents are happening so often it seems like there’s more than just a few bad apples.
There’s absolutely no excuse for any officer not to be trained properly or have a clear and safe protocol for dealing with young people.
Margot's in her own Barbie whirl
Barbie. She’s back, the iconic doll from Mattel that many of us played with as children will be brought to life in a feature length movie called….you guessed it – Barbie.
Aussie actress Margot Robbie has been perfectly cast to play the lead role alongside Ryan Gosling’s abs-tastic Ken.
A collection of timely on set photos were cleverly released this week with fans trying to piece together storylines based on Margot’s costumes, which included a fetching 80s get up of cycling shorts, a leotard and roller blades and a hot pink waistcoat with matching bell bottoms. Now that takes me back.
I’m not sure if the film is for adults or kids but it was only a matter of time before the world’s most famous blonde was brought to the big screen so I’ll be interested to see what acclaimed director Greta Gerwig comes up with.
Hopefully this will be a Barbie fit for present day.
I can see it now, she’s called Barbara, drives an electric convertible and lives in a sustainable eco friendly dream home.
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