Review: Jerry Sadowitz, Albert Halls, Stirling

Jerry Sadowitz's response to having his show cancelled at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe? Quadrupling down on the outrage, writes Jay Richardson.

Jerry Sadowitz review

You don't have to agree to enjoy the awfulness.

Jerry Sadowitz has been cancelled by Margate Comedy Club

The comic's performance at the new Crack Me Up! club has been axed, with the comic posting that the issue was with "the owner of the venue" who "read what happened in Edinburgh and has decided to cancel due to me being 'unsafe, racist, homophobic and misogynistic.' People... I am so much more than that, Comedy Monster."

After scabrous comedian Jerry Sadowitz has had his Edinburgh Fringe shows cancelled by the Pleasance venue for featuring precisely the sort of content he has been performing for at least four decades, the Times wheeled out several big guns to defend the right to offend.

"The fear of upsetting people is the road to self-censorship, not self-improvement; the erection of new taboos a fresh means of hiding the truth," agonised Alex Massie. "It is depressing to appreciate that so many people are incapable of distinguishing between speech they do not like themselves and speech so dangerous it must be suppressed."

James Marriott pointed out: "An honest defence of free speech acknowledges that it inflicts pain on vulnerable people, disperses power unequally and has no scientifically identifiable principles - but that it is precious nonetheless."

And Sarah Ditum got straight to the point: "The galliest thing of all, the gall mother lode, is the Pleasance's claim to 'champion freedom of speech'. Now there's some faux liberal pish for you."

Fine words all - but somewhat pishy coming from a newspaper which, only two months earlier, deleted a news article about Boris Johnson pushing for his then mistress Carrie Symonds to be given a job at the Foreign Office because it offended not the general public or even its readers' sensibilities but those of Carrie herself, whose "people" intervened with representatives of News UK CEO Rebekah Brooks to complain about its appearance in the first edition of 18 June.

Despite a deluge of correspondence, complaints and even subscription cancellations from readers about the truth-hiding and self-censorship, the Times has declined to explain its actions, or to print a single further word about the matter. And unlike Sadowitz's act, the Times story didn't include the filthy bits (but we did - see Eye 1576).

Jerry Sadowitz cancelling was as lamentable as it was avoidable

The cancelling of Scottish comedian (and accomplished magician) Jerry Sadowitz by major Fringe producer Pleasance, was as lamentable as it was avoidable.

Silencing comics will lead to a dark destination, says Andy Shaw

The decision to cancel Sadowitz was an act of cowardice.

Kate Copstick: "This is a frightened Fringe. And that is unacceptable."

The Scotsman comedy critic on the Jerry Sadowitz controversy and why the Fringe shouldn't be aligning itself with corporate values.