In comedy, one man’s meat is another man’s poison – or for the vegans and vegetarians amongst you, one man’s nut roast is another man’s bacon sandwich.

We’re all born with a sense of humour, but with some people it becomes dulled through lack of use, to the extent that when they hear a joke their instant reaction is to pull a face rather than giggle or guffaw.  We’ve all met ’em!

Having a sense of humour doesn’t mean we all find the same things funny.
Any comedian – me, for example, as this is my page! – will tell you that unless you’re a massive star and people pay a lot of money to specifically see you perform, you’re not going to make everyone in the audience laugh.

Although Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown has been making people laugh for years, he’s been banned from appearing in Sheffield by The City Trust, a charity which feels his show doesn’t reflect its values.

This echoes the comments of Swansea Council when they banned Chubby from appearing at the Grand Theatre in 2019, because “He doesn’t reflect the council’s values”.

I know better than to mention the state of some of Swansea’s streets.

Chubby’s rude humour isn’t my cup of tea, but he’s appeared in Sheffield many times over 30 years and 25,000 people recently signed a petition demanding the Trust change their decisions

The publicity for his shows makes clear they’re for over 18s only and not for the easily offended.
Everyone who buys a ticket to see him knows what to expect. So, exactly who is he likely to offend?

If their objection is based on his ‘colourful’ language, Sheffield City Trust should see Sarah Millican or Kiri Pritchard-McLean perform.
Their acts, like many other comedians, contain material that could raise the hairs on a bowling ball.

It seems to me this is another example of cancel culture, which is less to do with ‘values’ than personal taste.

So, logically, if Sheffield City Trust weren’t fans of The Beach Boys, they’d be banned, too.
Why?
God only knows . . .