Rowan Atkinson has lashed out at cancel culture and claims comedians should "be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything”. The legendary actor and comedian, known for his roles in Blackadder, Mr Bean and Johnny English, insists that "the job of comedy is to offend" and believes cancel culture should not get in the way of that.
While speaking to the Irish Times about his new Netflix series, Man vs Bee, the 67-year-old who was born in Consett said every joke has a “victim”, and criticised the idea that it should always be powerful people. “It does seem to me that the job of comedy is to offend, or have the potential to offend, and it cannot be drained of that potential,” Rowan said.
“Every joke has a victim. That’s the definition of a joke. Someone or something or an idea is made to look ridiculous. I think you’ve got to be very, very careful about saying what you’re allowed to make jokes about.”
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The comedian also said he believes there are a small number of topics that should be off the table when it comes to comedy, adding: “You’ve always got to kick up? Really? What if there’s someone extremely smug, arrogant, aggressive, self-satisfied, who happens to be below in society? They’re not all in houses of parliament or in monarchies.”
He continued: “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
Netflix's Man vs Bee, set to be released on Friday (June 24), follows a homeless man looking for work who is mistaken by a business woman for her new house-sitter. While trying to take care of a house, the man tries to get the better of a cunning bee, who unleashes chaos upon the unsuspecting house-sitter.
To coincide with the release of his new Netflix series, Rowan will read The Bumblebear by Nadia Shireen this Friday evening on CBeebies. The much-loved comedian says he hopes it will inspire the "next generation of bee lovers".
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