John Cleese to present C4 show 'Cancel Me'

[OldTurtleNewShell]

Apparently, he's going to interview 'cancelled' subjects. He's been quite vocal on twitter about a lot of this and has spoken up in defence of JK Rowling, as well as opposing male people in women's sports.

It'll be interesting to see who he gets on. I think it's also a sign of a turning tide that he's getting to put this on a major channel at all.

He's quoted by the Guardian as saying 'there’s so much I don’t understand', but from his tweets, he understands it very well. His tactic is to question instead of refute, which means people have to actually think about what they're claiming.

This promises to be interesting.

www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/aug/24/cancel-me-john-cleese-to-present-channel-4-show-on-woke-thought

I am not using my privilege to tell those without it that they are wrong

BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Fucking LOL

Thanks for the belly laugh, Jo

He cant not know what hes said there…can he???

I am not using my privilege to tell those without it that they are wrong
Oh yes you are!!!

I’m sure he’ll help us all see the Fanny side!

Look forward to this!

I look forward to anyone debating with John Cleese:

I've just enjoyed re-watching him in the 1979 TV debate about LoB.

Cleese, in the op article:
“I’m delighted to have a chance to find out, on camera, about all the aspects of so-called political correctness. There’s so much I really don’t understand, like: how the impeccable idea of ‘Let’s all be kind to people’ has been developed in some cases ad absurdum.”

MishyJDI Cleese is "complaining about being cancelled".

I mean, why lie? We can all see that this is untrue.
Actually, it seems to me that people lying about what you actually say does form part of "being cancelled".

Actually, it seems to me that people lying about what you actually say does form part of "being cancelled".

It does, doesn't it? This is a huge part of it. I hope Cleese touches on it as part of the series.

Sorrel, thanks for that, very interesting and insightful.
Cleese talking about the butt of the joke being closed societies where people stop looking at the evidence and belief systems become unfalsifiable.
Draw your own parallels.

My understanding of John Cleese’s finances is that he is generally pretty strapped for cash due to all his divorces. So he’s not in a JKR style place of uncancellable safety at all. My guess is that he just doesn’t give a toss what anyone says about him and sod them all. Looking forward to it.

variety.com/2021/tv/news/john-cleese-cancel-culture-1235047583/

www.imdb.com/news/ni63400095/

When he talks to the activists, I do hope he asks the Staniland question

@LazyViper

My understanding of John Cleese’s finances is that he is generally pretty strapped for cash due to all his divorces. So he’s not in a JKR style place of uncancellable safety at all. My guess is that he just doesn’t give a toss what anyone says about him and sod them all. Looking forward to it.

I don't believe it!

I used to book after dinner speakers for work.

John Cleese was in the catalogue under the "iconic" category alongside Neil Armstrong. £100k for an after dinner speech. (Way beyond us! Our speakers were up and coming comedians for under £5k)

The speaker agency takes a hefty whack, but still...

This was about 20 years ago, but I can't imagine he's become any less iconic since then.

@MishyJDI

Lols - going on national tv to complain about being cancelled. Doesn't really sound like he is being silenced - quite the reverse.

Cancel culture is just a load of rubbish.

Mishy's posts always - always - miss the point. It's as predictable as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.

So he's actually being paid to offer an argument clinic?

Excellent.

I'd love to see how he deals with the interpretation of the number of sketches done wearing female clothing - or the Judges sketch. After all, the original interviews around the Life of Brian showed him to be a natural (or well trained in debating by his school).

Or, of course, he could always tell them that they were being very naughty boys.

I am so looking forward to this

And thank you @SorrelForbes for that link. As well as showing JC's debating skills, we got to see the lovely Michael Palin actually (and quite rightly) getting a bit cross. Also I'd forgotten quite how much of a hottie Paul Jones was

Michael Palin is so sexy when he's angry, the little tiger!

I always enjoy that LoB clip. Malcolm Muggeridge was insufferable. He probably counted on intimidating most interlocutors but he clearly had no idea of what he was facing when he agreed to take part in this 'debate' - both the huge popularity of the Pythons, but also their intelligence, wit and quick thinking.

I saw some reaction on Twitter to the C4 programme the other day. Depressingly, it seemed to boil down to 'What would he know about anything, he's 81' or whatever age he actually is. As mentioned above, ageism passes totally unnoticed.

...... I have the very controversial opinion of finding LoB highly offensive - watched it many many times, in fact it was my mum and dad that introduced me to it!

But the last time I watched it was during Channel 4's banned season, and I watched a documentary on the controversy surrounding it beforehand, where Cleese called all Christians stupid, and Michael pallin was quite sneeringly contemptuous of anyone who read the bible. I then watched LoB with fresh eyes, saw it for what it was, a sneering, disrespectful comment on faith by people who looked down on anyone who believed in God and thought they were stupid.

However, still thought it was really funny!! Biggus Dickus and all that.... Bright side of life was one of the first songs I learnt to play on the guitar. I would never try to ban LoB, and John Cleese et Al are entitled to their views and to express them. I would love to talk to him about it, I think it would be an interesting, lively but respectful discourse and we would emerge chuckling....

... Also, isn't it interesting that in the first clip, Cleese and Palin are the young, sexy, passionate ones fighting the good fight against the stuffy establishment represented by two old men. And now, the biggest insult being thrown at Cleese is that he is old.....

So he's actually being paid to offer an argument clinic?

@rabbitwoman

...... I have the very controversial opinion of finding LoB highly offensive - watched it many many times, in fact it was my mum and dad that introduced me to it!

But the last time I watched it was during Channel 4's banned season, and I watched a documentary on the controversy surrounding it beforehand, where Cleese called all Christians stupid, and Michael pallin was quite sneeringly contemptuous of anyone who read the bible. I then watched LoB with fresh eyes, saw it for what it was, a sneering, disrespectful comment on faith by people who looked down on anyone who believed in God and thought they were stupid.

However, still thought it was really funny!! Biggus Dickus and all that.... Bright side of life was one of the first songs I learnt to play on the guitar. I would never try to ban LoB, and John Cleese et Al are entitled to their views and to express them. I would love to talk to him about it, I think it would be an interesting, lively but respectful discourse and we would emerge chuckling....

I don't see that at all. I read it as an attack on organised religion and all the petty nonsense that human beings put in place to divide ourselves up into opposing factions, not on religious belief itself.

There you are, gaspode, what an interesting and stimulating conversation could be had! But that's the important thing - it could be had..... Whoever is going to hold these debates about gender identity will need balls of steel....

Looking forward to this.
I think JC will thoroughly enjoy it.
A pertinent LoB clip and my favourite,
m.youtube.com/watch?v=jlo7YZW8vPA

Don't you oppress me!