to be impressed by Frankie Boyle's hunger strike?

[Isabeller]

grauniad link here

Ah hazeyjane I'd forgotten about KP's previous marriage.

I don't believe he was having a go at a particular disabled child (Harvey) though. He's criticising the ruthlessness of someone who can make a career out of their own body and their fame at the expense of their own children's privacy.

'Lucky' because a disabled child does not fit with a glamorous image.

FB is being sarcastic. He has a family of his own.

The case of the Guantanamo Bay prisoners is shocking.

Sorry I have pm'd you the joke choccaluvva, didn't really want to print it out in full on thread!

He also made jokes about children with Downs, dying early, all looking the same etc, and then when a couple in the front row talked, he shouted at them, they pointed out that they had a child with Down's syndrome, and his response was merely that he was right about everything he said about Down's syndrome.

Sorry, just meant to say, FB isn't making jokes about the difficulties of life with a disabled child, societies attitudes or the nature of celebrity, he is making bullying schoolboy jokes which do nothing but perpetuate societies ignorance about disability.

I'll read it now hazeyjane.

You hadn't previously read the joke you are defending?

I had read the joke Eyesunderarock, but not his later comments about what he meant by it.

The 'theory' part of the joke I sent you, is the joke, not comments made afterwards.

I just don't understand how the joke could be miscontstrued!

It's pretty shocking.

Good on him for contributing to the attempt to bring the case of the GB prisoners to public attention though. The more diverse the participants the greater the effects.

chocoluvva are you FB's mum?

That explanation of the Harvey fucking his mother joke would be quite sweet if you weren't trying to defend the indefensible in the most tenuous way possible.

I made the mistake of going to see FB live on the strength of his Mock The Week appearances.

There was nothing clever, funny or witty about the vicious crap he stood there and spouted. It was like being in the presence of a year 10 kid trying desperately to impress his hard mates. Every 'joke' was met by a either a sharp intake of breath or Neanderthal-style 'hurrhurrhurrs' from Lynx-scented nobheads who seemed delighted to be given permission to laugh at disabled people and child murder.

It was the most excruciating two hours of my life and I really regret not walking out.

As for the hunger strike - bollocks. Going without lunch at The Ivy for a week in order to earn back your Grauniad stripes does not make you a decent human being.

He'll just be a thinner twat.

chocco sorry for x-post.

Feral, I was very 'lucky' that like you had bought tickets for FB and was due to see his show the week following his 'hilarious' joke about a child with Down's syndrome. We gave the tickets to a friend of a friend who actually went [mustn't get out much emoticon] so could keep my dignity intact by avoiding his crap.

My only saving grace is that I didn't buy the tickets. They were a gift from the friend I went with.

We both had faces liked smacked arses when we came out.

I can't believe anyone could defend or misinterpret FB's 'joke' about Harvey.

He hasn't ever apologised to Harvey or his family. Presumably, he is perfectly happy with what he said. Can you imagine what Harvey's siblings will think when if they hear about the joke.

oh come on, the joke about harvey was quite funny

Ok, trying to think of a calm, undeletable response, but just can't do it.

Fuck off.

Can you explain to me, what it is about the joke that you find funny? I genuinely would like to know.

Blimey, there are a lot of posters spoiling for a bunfight this evening.

Is it the heat or the full moon. I wonder what causes shit stirring.

What the very fuck?
Would you laugh your head off if someone alluded to your child being an incestuous rapist, Braineuse?

Particularly if they were unable to answer back?

What the... How... On what planet is a joke about a disabled child fucking hiss mother funny?? You are going to have to explain that, Branleuse because it makes no fucking sense to me whatsoever!

• his not hiss.

Even if you did have no moral compass, that joke wasn't even funny.

About as funny as cancer.

Frankie Boyle is shit.

How many good comedians do you have nowadays? I like AL Murray's tongue-in-cheek "Pub Landlord" schtick. The shows, anyway- not so much the TV series. All the rest are shite from what I can see.

I went to see him - it got go about halfway through his horrible set, I was sat with DH, shrinking into my seat at the vicous, unending hatred pouring out of the man. It was at the point he made a racist - yes racist, joke about black men's cocks and rape that we walked out. My DH was shellshocked. I was, too. FB is a cunt. Not a caricature: simply a cunt.

the whole sketch was shocking, and offensively hilarious. In the spirit of the rest of the show, it was just a funny show from start to end.

I dont think theres many things that I think should be off limits to joke about, in te right company or situation