Has Ricky Gervais lastly gone too far? He tells risque Jimmy Savile joke about ‘raping disabled youngsters’ that even HE fears will get him cancelled – as comic begins new tour
Ricky Gervais has admitted he may have finally gone too far with a joke about Jimmy Savile, claiming it is the ‘worst thing I’ve ever said’ as he promotes his new global tour.
The free speech comedian had crowds in stitches as he kicked off his Mortality tour earlier this week and he joked about some controversial topics beyond even what his most hardened fans are used to.
The 63-year-old’s provocative routine received mixed reviews from critics, who branded him a ‘pub bore’ who has spent too much time online and someone who is ‘too tepid to get excited about’.
But his supporters lavished praise on the comic for a triumphant return with his opening gig at the York Barbican on Tuesday, hailing his routine as ‘brilliant’ and ‘outstanding’, with one saying they had ‘never laughed so much’.
The hour-long show includes some controversial gags, which is unsurprising given Gervais’ unapologetic attitude, with jokes about disabled children, Gandhi and another about Pakistan‘s sharia laws.
Ricky Gervais pictured performing at the York Barbican on Tuesday night. Critics who attended the opening gig branded him a ‘pub bore’ whose jokes are no longer funny
The comedian, 63, was kicking off the UK leg of his Mortality tour with a sold out show in York
The hour-long show includes some controversial gags, including one about Jimmy Savile (pictured), which he claimed is the worst joke he’s ever said
But it was the comic’s unfavourable comparison between himself and Jimmy Savile that really provoked the crowd, after he claimed he was ‘way worse’ than the monster who raped and abused disabled children.
Gervais claimed the gag is ‘worst thing’ he’s ever said, which begins with him stating the obvious – people hate Jimmy Savile for getting away with his crimes, which included raping disabled children.
He then suggests this is something he would never do, before adding: ‘Which in a way makes me worse than him. At least he gave them a chance.’
This was followed by another gag about fellow British comic Rosie Jones, who has cerebral palsy. Gervais says that Jones recently received backlash from disability campaigners over the title of a documentary called ‘Am I a R****d?’.
He explained that she was told the word was not hers to use as a physically disabled person. Gervais then quips: ‘They said you’re not a r****d, you’re a s*****c.’
Another controversial line saw Gervais highlight the hypocrisy of western Liberals for failing to call out Pakistan over its sexual rights laws.
He says that in Pakistan there is a law that only permits a man to have sex with a girl after her first period.
The comic pokes fun at this with a skit about a mother telling her neighbour, who is frustratedly waiting for her daughter to mature, to pass the time by throwing homosexuals off a roof.
He ends with the punchline: ‘Liberals hate religious fascism and abuse of girls except when it’s in Pakistan.’
Gervais also included a gag about fellow British comic Rosie Jones (pictured), who has cerebral palsy
Such jokes seemed to have fallen flat with critics, with Dominic Maxwell from the Times giving it a two star review, adding that ‘all this provocation and semi-satirical self-aggrandisement feels thin.’
Stephen Armstrong from The Telegraph gave it three stars in his review, where he stated: ‘It feels like a man who used to be the funniest bloke in the pub delivering material written after spending too much time online.’
But fans seem to have a different view altogether, with some already taking to social media to lavish Gervais with praise.
Kevin MacDonald wrote on X shortly after the performance: ‘You were brilliant Ricky, so glad we could get to see you live.’
Gaynor, who also attended on Tuesday, wrote: ‘Saw you tonight and can confirm you are indeed a ‘funny little fat man’ Thank you #legend.’
Helen Young also praised the ‘fantastic’ show, saying she was ‘so glad I got to attend’, while Paul Stanley claimed he had ‘never laughed so much’ after watching.
Other fans expressed their anticipation over seeing Gervais at some his future shows across the UK later this month.
The comic is set to travel to Oxford next week for two shows at the New Theatre, before heading to Newcastle, Manchester, St Albans and Brighton in November.
He will then perform in Nottingham and Liverpool in December as well as Cardiff, Ipswich, Manchester and Birmingham in the new year.
Fans have already taking to social media to lavish Gervais with praise about his new show
It is not the first time Gervais has raised eyebrows over his material.
He previously faced backlash when his 2023 show on the streaming service Armageddon featured controversial jokes about asylum seekers and terminally ill children.
He came come under fire after the clip started circulating on social media, showing the star branding sick children ‘baldies’ and asking those who requested to meet him via the Make-A-Wish Foundation: ‘Why don’t you wish to get better?’
Despite the uproar the special won a Golden Globe and went on make history by becoming the highest ever grossing comedy show, after raking in a whopping £1.41million at the Box Office for a single gig.
Gervais also came under fire for a series of allegedly transphobic gags in his 2022 Netflix special SuperNature.
His routines included saying: ‘You can’t predict what will be offensive in the future. You don’t know who the dominant mob will be.
‘Like, the worst thing you can say today, get you cancelled on Twitter, death threats, the worst thing you can say today is, ‘Women don’t have penises’, right?
‘Now, no one saw that coming. You won’t find a ten-year-old tweet of someone saying, ‘Women don’t have penises’. You know why? We didn’t think we f***ing had to!’
Gervais previously faced backlash when his 2023 show on Netflix, called Armageddon, which featured controversial jokes about asylum seekers and terminally ill children
He also told his audience: ‘Full disclosure – in real life of course I support trans rights. I support all human rights and trans rights are human rights.
‘Live your best life. Use your preferred pronouns. Be the gender that you feel that you are. But meet me halfway, ladies – lose the c**k, that’s all I’m saying.’
Ricky famously caused controversy at the 2016 Golden Globes where he was accused by fans of being transphobic after he made a dig about Caitlyn in his opening speech.
He said: ‘What a year she’s had. She’s become a role model for trans people everywhere, showing great bravery and destroying stereotypes.
‘She didn’t do a lot for women drivers. You can’t have everything, can you, not at the same time.’
In February 2015, Jenner was involved in a fatal multiple-vehicle collision, in which one woman, Kim Howe, was killed. Prosecutors declined to file criminal charges in the case.
At the time, Ricky hit back at transphobic claims, he tweeted: ‘Suggesting a joke about Caitlin Jenner is automatically transphobic is like suggesting a joke about Bill Cosby is automatically racist.’
