Comedian Paul Chowdhry has jokingly slammed "cancel culture", as he admits he's "gutted" audience members were ushered out of the Leeds City Varieties building mid-show due to a 'suspected gas leak'.
The comedian's show took place on its third rescheduled date last night (January 23) after originally being cancelled on April 19, 2022, and then November 9. It is being called a "cursed" show by fans, desperate to finally see the full set.
The building was evacuated at 8.30pm last night just as Paul had finished his first half-hour set, where he warmed up with a lot of audience interaction - notably making fun of a child in the audience and Beeston. In reference to the repeated rescheduling, Paul joked that he'd tried to cancel the Leeds gig "15 times" but he kept being dragged back to the city against his will.
Read more: Follow our live blog on last night's dramatic events here
As soon as the comedian walked off for a "five minute interval", the fire alarms sounded. Audience members were ushered out and told to stand away from the building.
Staff told guests there was a "smell of gas from the cellar". Audience members, confused at what had happened, soon congregated on Briggate, with some branding it "ridiculous".
Paul took to Twitter, he wrote: "Absolutely gutted to announce my show was cancelled after the first half in Leeds. Cancel culture has gone too far."
Later that night, Paul, who is a regular on the stand-up circuit and panel shows, jokingly vented his frustrations in a video and appeared to say he'll come back to Leeds City Varieties for a fourth rescheduled tour date.
Posting a video to Twitter, he said: "So I'm here at Leeds City Varieties for my third rescheduled date. Finally made it here. Did the first half. The show was banging. People were laughing.
"I come off stage. I get cancelled. Let me finish the show, let me do the two and a half hours - I get cancelled after the first half because my material is too controversial for these p...
"Oh no, there was a gas leak...it was nothing to do with material. There was a gas leak. Some kind of anthrax, Russian novichock poisoning - the Taliban came for me! That's what happ...gas leak.
"That's what I want to say for publicity purposes but somebody poured diesel down the pipes to shut me down. You can't shut a man down, innit? Let's find out who really did this."
Paul then cuts to a shot of him standing by the Headrow, where building crews are working on roadworks in the background. He jokes: "So it looks like it was some novichock poisoning from Putin. Putin and novichock!
"Putin has taken this too far, first Ukraine and now the Paul Chowdhry: Family Friendly Comedian Tour. Too far Putin! I'm coming for you. I see your boys here, messing with my pipes. Don't mess with the pipes!
"Now the show's cancelled! Now I've got to come back to this tatti peshab place." The date for Paul's fourth rescheduled gig date in Leeds has not yet been announced.
Neither Leeds City Varieties, owned by Leeds Heritage Theatres, or Leeds City Council has released a statement confirming whether there had been a "gas leak" in the building at the time of writing. Leeds Live has asked for a statement.
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