Roy Chubby Brown’s management has hit out after another venue cancelled the offensive comedian.
He had been due to play Exmouth Pavilions in August, but the theatre has unexpectedly pulled the plug.
According to Brown’s Facebook page, bosses at the council-owned venue told them that the No Offence Meant tour ‘no longer aligns with the organisation’s long-term strategic direction’.
‘Make of that what you will,’ his team wrote on social media, adding that even if venue chiefs had an issue with 81-year-old Brown, the ‘sensible thing to have done’ would have been to honour the contracted gig so as not to let the comedian’s fans down.
‘Cancelling a show three-and-a-half months before the date when fans / customers have bought tickets and probably made travel plans etc… [is] totally the wrong decision.’
His fans voiced their support, posting comments such as: ‘Comedy should never be cancelled, it is an art. Comedy has the right to offend, that’s what makes it funny’; or ‘Too many snowflakes in the world, one of the best comedians I’ve ever seen, can’t wait to see you again…long live freedom of speech and Chubby.’
Exmouth Pavilion is owned by East Devon District Council and operated by the charitable trust LED Community Leisure, but it has not yet responded to Chortle’s request for comment.
The comic has been banned from several other venues over the racial content of his act.
In September 2021, more than 28,000 people signed a petition after a planned performance was cancelled by Sheffield City Trust. The following year, Lancaster City Council axed Brown's appearance at The Platform in Morecambe.
Other venues have declined to book the comic, but without axing existing bookings.
