clapham_gull
Legacy Fan
- Aug 20, 2003
- 25,869
Wonderfully revisionist thread implying Freddie Starr was from a golden age of comedians, "wouldn't get away with now", the tapes have been erased etc...
Sorry but bollocks. That's just a back handed dig at what is perceived today as "political correctness".
He was hugely controversial AT THE TIME and that's why the audience loved him. The television execs quite obviously didn't as he was anarchic and unreliable with an addiction to prescription drugs, although he didn't drink and was a vegetarian.
Whilst societal attitudes to racist (and sexist jokes) have changed, Freddie Starr simply wasn't one of those comedians comparatively. Remember, society was very conservative in the 70s/80s and an unpredictable person such as Starr would have been very difficult to manage.
He wasn't off air in later years because of political correctness (ITV were quite happy to have him on I'm a Celeb), it was everything to do with his car crash personal live, ill health and legal issues.
He was more akin to Frankie Boyle and Russell Brand "at their worse" for unpredictability and a young and mentally fit Freddie Starr would easily get air time today.
Don't rewrite history to fit a political agenda. Comedians like Manning and Davidson just fell off a 1970s conveyor belt of similar comedians, Freddie Starr was alternative and a one off.
I'll pass judgement on the allegations that led him to move to Spain since nothing criminal was proved. He did remember lose the libel case.
Sorry but bollocks. That's just a back handed dig at what is perceived today as "political correctness".
He was hugely controversial AT THE TIME and that's why the audience loved him. The television execs quite obviously didn't as he was anarchic and unreliable with an addiction to prescription drugs, although he didn't drink and was a vegetarian.
Whilst societal attitudes to racist (and sexist jokes) have changed, Freddie Starr simply wasn't one of those comedians comparatively. Remember, society was very conservative in the 70s/80s and an unpredictable person such as Starr would have been very difficult to manage.
He wasn't off air in later years because of political correctness (ITV were quite happy to have him on I'm a Celeb), it was everything to do with his car crash personal live, ill health and legal issues.
He was more akin to Frankie Boyle and Russell Brand "at their worse" for unpredictability and a young and mentally fit Freddie Starr would easily get air time today.
Don't rewrite history to fit a political agenda. Comedians like Manning and Davidson just fell off a 1970s conveyor belt of similar comedians, Freddie Starr was alternative and a one off.
I'll pass judgement on the allegations that led him to move to Spain since nothing criminal was proved. He did remember lose the libel case.
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