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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask, is Jim Davidson really a nice man?

327 replies

ashamedmummy11 · 29/01/2014 19:30

I was just chatting with OH here and I said I quite liked him on CBB. Apart from a few questionable remarks to Casey he seems a reasonably nice guy. OH reckons he has a bad reputation. Is this true? If so why?

OP posts:
WallyBantersJunkBox · 30/01/2014 22:50

But not Beelzebub, apparently.

WallyBantersJunkBox · 30/01/2014 22:56

Ubik1 the episode with Thewlis was called "A taxing problem" - how very apt! Smile

limitedperiodonly · 30/01/2014 23:01

yeah, I am very funny, but I bet I'm not your favourite panedd

treaclesoda · 30/01/2014 23:11

I heard some woman who used to be in Allo Allo on the radio this morning talking about him and what a great bloke he is, said she'd known him for many many years. My first thought was 'bloody hell, they had to trawl the depths of showbiz to find someone who likes him, and the best they could do was someone off a slightly sleazy 30 year old sitcom'. But then my second thought was 'how can any woman defend him?'. I don't think I've ever witnessed a man be quite so open about how much he despises women. I'm paraphrasing here but I once saw him say on camera something along the lines of 'they're pointless except for the fact you can fuck them'. Can't remember his exact words, but it was pretty venomous.

Darkesteyes · 30/01/2014 23:21

My dad used to watch Allo Allo. Bloody awful programme

ComposHat · 30/01/2014 23:24

Wht is his catchphrase 'nick nick' what does that mean?

WallyBantersJunkBox · 31/01/2014 00:01

It was something to do with a joke about being stopped by a police officer for drunk driving if I recall. Nick as in get nicked?

ComposHat · 31/01/2014 00:27

Oh I see.Funny because every article relating to his CBB win refers to him as 'nick nick' which isn't a reference many people younger than 40 would have got.

That set me off digging, this article relates to his arrest, but I found this audio clip of Jim Davidson in his late 70s heyday.

Jim Davidson stand up

Not only is a massive cunt and a bigot but he's also a fucking terrible comedian. His jokes are nasty, bigoted and mean spirited, that goes without saying, but the timing and delivery is rotten.

If you had to say something in Bernard Manning's defence, you could say that technically he was a very good comedian who did vile material. You can't even say that about Davidson or Roy 'Chubby' Brown who are both appallingly bad at what they do, but have made very good livings doing it, simply by pandering to a bunch of knuckle scrapers.

WallyBantersJunkBox · 31/01/2014 00:32

I tried watching Mrs Browns Boys last night, and noticed he'd nicked a few jokes from a routine JD did on the Irish.

I failed to laugh the first and second time.

I've often wondered with Chubby Brown - is he playing a character, you know, like Alf Garnett? Because I've heard different views about him in real life. Confused

ComposHat · 31/01/2014 00:47

I'd not thought about that with Roy 'Chubby' Brown. It is possible I guess. But then he panders to his audiences prejudices, rather than confronting them or subtly undermining them as Alf Garnett did.

I could be wrong and I haven't heard many of his routines, but I've always got the impression he was a straight up 24 carat cunt.

Thatballwasin · 31/01/2014 01:33

Was reading the Popbitch email this evening (and the second time I've posted about it!) and in it it's claimed that JD is a friend of Richard Desmond who owns Channel 5. PB speculating as to whether that is why the programme was kind in its editing of JD. Apparently a series on Ch 5 is on the cards...

Sudenim · 31/01/2014 02:33

Does anyone else think Narcissism springs to mind?

arabellarubberplant · 31/01/2014 03:07

I was one of those poor women in the military, overseas, and he came out to entertain us.... I didn't go. The man is a knob.

Mind you, I did go to some corkers. CSE shows were a whirlwind of random cheese. Grin believe me, in the Falklands you don't get a lot of choice....

ProphetOfDoom · 31/01/2014 03:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BumPotato · 31/01/2014 10:33

He's on Wright Stuff now, making hilarious quips about divorce and his marriages.

Lighthousekeeping · 31/01/2014 11:02

Yes and Mathew Wright and the panel are laughing hilariously. I just don't get it. I wonder what the celebs that were twittering away really think? Jonathon Rosd, Grace Dent, Boy George etc. surely they would not be fans of him? Nothing surprises me"

limitedperiodonly · 31/01/2014 11:10

As someone said earlier, Davidson is a friend of Richard Desmond who owns Ch5. Who would dare criticise him and expect to ever appear on Ch 5 or in OK, Star, The Express again?

Piscivorus · 31/01/2014 14:44

I'm not sure how much weight that carries and showbiz/media people will have friendships within those circles so you could find connections which could be total coincidences.

Sam Faiers writes a column for OK magazine which is owned by Richard Desmond (here). Her winning would have been more advantageous for him but it didn't happen.

I think just an occasion where the wisdom of MN is out of step with the views of the general public.

WallyBantersJunkBox · 31/01/2014 14:47

No Compo I think you're correct, Chubby Brown is just a twunt, plain and simple.

I don't watch much CH5, sometimes a bit of Law & Order. I'll probably watch even less now then.

newmorning · 31/01/2014 14:59

JD panders to quite-low-common-denominator male audiences but Chubby Brown's audiences are much, much lower.

Based upon each comedian's material, I'd go as far as to say that, compared with Chubby Brown, JD is bordering on being a feminist.

Bproud · 31/01/2014 16:01

I think his 1980s TV shows must have been somewhat 'toned down' as I went to a dinner and entertainment do, where he was the act without qualms.

However our entire party (it was a work Xmas do) walked out when he picked on one of us and unleashed foul mouthed, racist and sexist abuse upon her personally, she was the only Indian woman in our group.

limitedperiodonly · 31/01/2014 18:07

pisc Richard Desmond really likes Davidson. A colleague who used to work on OK! said that when the magazine did wedding buy-ups, Davidson was one of the non-negotiable guests imposed on the happy couple.

But when you're whoring out one of the most meaningful days of your life, I have little sympathy if the person picking up the bill packs your guest list with his choice of friends and tells you there's no room for your aged great aunt Nellie.

I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Desmond is very pleased to have helped revive his mate's career and rehabilitate his image - which, btw, Desmond would have had no problem with.

I expect he might have done if Davidson had told anti-Semitic jokes but either he likes Jews, I haven't studied his oeuvre enough or there just wasn't much room in his set after bashing women, the Irish, disabled people and black people.

Desmond would have no interest in Sam Faiers winning. He probably had no idea who she, or any of the others, were and TBF why should he? That's what he pays his employees for. Not terribly well for the most part, actually.

He might heard of the Nolans, but he wouldn't recognise Linda and I'm quite sure he'd despise her. It's not often I find myself agreeing with him but...Wink

Davidson won because he came over very well - as we've discussed on various Telly Addicts threads.

He was more than likely helped by editing and others were harmed by it. But he did win fair and square, or as fair as reality TV gets Wink

What awful lazy shite-viewers we are, aren't we, btw? Tomorrow's February and I propose to renew my subscription to the National Trust and spend more time looking at improving art. How about you? Wink

Varya · 31/01/2014 18:10

We left one of his live shows and paid a fortune for a taxi home. If a comedian cant make jokes without resorting to filth, swearing and lewdness we are not interested. Not in my opinion, a nice person at all.

limitedperiodonly · 31/01/2014 18:22

WallyBantersJunkBox I love BB and particularly loved this CBB. It was a good one. Miles better than last year.

I liked Jim Davidson's challenge to future contestants: 'Follow this shit' even while I was hating him for cuddling up to the girlies in the Diary Room as he said it.

I am conflicted about him. He's not a nice person. The elderly joke he made about bathing Casey is about incest - whether he wants to believe it or not.

He is however, a worthy winner because he played the game the best.

I don't know whether you watched it. I did and that's what I took from it.

Other people on Telly Addicts also watched and thought he shouldn't have won.

I respect their opinions. But not the opinions of people who don't watch but feel like commenting on the contestants or viewers anyway.

Anyway, Channel 5 has some pretty good films if you like action/adventure/romcom.

I think they're a cheap way of filling up the schedules but that's okay by me.

I also have a subscription to highbrow stuff like Sky Arts.

AnAdventureInCakeAndWine · 31/01/2014 18:56

Surely one can comment on whether JD is a nice guy without having watched CBB, especially as the OP is specifically asking about his past because she's unfamiliar with it? This isn't a "discuss JD on CBB" thread, but rather a "what do you think of JD as a person" thread, so I don't see why the opinions of people who haven't watched it aren't worthy of respect.