Frankie Boyle has revealed he is now afraid to post controversial jokes online in case he becomes a victim of cancel culture.
The comic said he stops himself from writing gags on Twitter because he knows it will cause a backlash.
He cited one example where he considered making a joke about the death of legendary James Bond actor Sir Sean Connery shortly after it was announced but thought better of it.
The Glasgow-born comic became known for courting controversy early in his career and has previously been criticised for jokes about the Queen and the Paralympics.
Boyle opened up about his social media fears in Amazon Prime documentary Backstage with Katherine Ryan, where stand-ups are filmed in the dressing rooms before going on stage.
He said: “I have become terrified of social media. I now think of things and just don’t put them down.
“Sean Connery died and it was quite early in the morning when the news came in so I was one of the first people to see the news. I thought of tweeting, ‘They’ve shaken him and he’s not stirred.’ Then I just thought ‘No, I cannot.’”
Boyle, 49, also confessed he once went for a colonic irrigation in a bid to get material out of it for a stand-up show.
However, he said it turned into a disaster when the person doing it recognised him.
He said: “I don’t feel comfortable admitting this but it’s almost like the sort of thing you do as a comedian going, ‘I’ll probably get a joke out of this.’ I didn’t really, it was just horrific.
“As she put the metal end in she went, ‘I’m sorry about this Frankie.’
“She had given no indication that she recognised me and suddenly we were on intimate terms.”
Former teacher Boyle shot to fame on the BBC panel show Mock the Week in 2005.
He now presents BBC2 show Frankie Boyle’s New World Order and his debut novel, which is called Meantime and is set in Glasgow, is due to be published next month.
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