Fuel crisis: Susanna Reid says 'don't blame us' to Jason Manford
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Jason Manford, 40, has taken to Twitter to comment on Coronation Street actress Dame Maureen Lipman’s, 75, thoughts that “cancel culture could wipe out comedy”. The actress told the BBC that she believed comedians are now too worried about offending, that there’s a worry “we will ever be funny again”.
Nah, not a thing!
Jason Manford
In view of his 399,000 Twitter followers, Jason penned in response to Maureen’s original BBC story: “Nah, not a thing.
“But you will have to come and see it live for the unfiltered stuff.”
Fans of the comedian took to the comments to reveal their opinion on Maureen’s view on cancel culture ruining comedy.
Jimgaz said: “Whenever I read stuff like that I always wonder what it is that they actually want to say but don’t think we’re allowed to.
“I’d prefer them to say it, then I can be more specific about what kind of t**t they are.”
Gag_N_Bone_Man added: “Name a subject you think is off limits for comedy. Just one.
“Guarantee somewhere there’s a comic with a take on it.”
Maureen’s comments come after a YouGov poll was released which found that 57 per cent of those asked said they censor themselves on issues including immigration and trans rights, particularly if their views are deemed less politically correct.
She said: “Cancel culture, this cancelling, this punishment, it’s everywhere.
“Punishment. An eye for an eye. ‘You said that, therefore you must never work again.’
“Sooner or later the cancellers will win.”
She also revealed fears that comedians would feel obliged to tone down their material to avoid losing audiences and becoming cancelled, leading to a bland art form that can never be resurrected.
“Something has to be forbidden to make you laugh, really belly laugh,” she added in a conversation with the BBC.
The poll also showed that 49 per cent of respondents would tone down or disguise their opinions to avoid causing offence to someone they had just met.
Meanwhile, the poll seems to suggest that younger generations are particularly likely to shun freedom of speech in favour of avoiding being offensive.
Trigger warnings have been slapped on a number of shows, while London’s legendary Old Vic theatre took the decision to cancel Sondheim’s Into The Woods, which was co-directed by former Monty Python star Terry Gilliam.
Following the decision, Terry claimed that “a small group of closed-minded, humour averse ideologues” had “intimidated” the theatre into blocking the production.
He added that the uproar began when he recommended audiences to watch a show by comedian Dave Chappelle, who has been accused of making anti-trans comments in his stand-up comedy shows.
However, some in the comedy world have taken the opposite view, promising that, in their eyes, the industry isn’t under threat.
Gilliam told the BBC that it was “complete nonsense” to suggest comedians now had to sacrifice their sense of humour to save their careers.
“I don’t believe freedom of speech is under threat,” he added.
“There’s been a massive, much-needed shift in the conversation around gender, around men’s attitudes to women, around consent. Society has moved on.”
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