'It's bought me artistic freedom'

Mark Watson has defended his decision to advertise Magners cider, saying the money will buy him more artistic freedom than he would otherwise have had.

Journalist David Jesudason this week criticised the comedian for ‘selling out’ in fronting the pear cider's £8million marketing campaign, saying that he had ‘stuck two fingers up to his loyal fans’ and accusing him of not caring about the ‘ills of the world’.

However Watson today hit back saying he has never followed an anti-capitalist agenda in his comedy, and took the decision so he could support his family without compromising other aspects of his work. His wife, fellow comedy performer Emily Watson-Howes, is expecting their first child.

In an article for Chortle’s Correspondents section, the 29-year-old said: ‘I like to think I’ve behaved with reasonable integrity in my career. I’ve resisted numerous offers to make my 24-hour shows profitable, for example, in the hope of preserving the experience for the people who come to see it. At the Fringe just gone, I did a series of non-profit lectures on climate change. I’ve turned down appearances on TV shows I didn’t like or approve of.

‘Most pertinently to the current debate, I spent the best part of the last two years writing a novel which my publishers rejected as being too “uncommercial”. Coming as it did a week after this enormous professional setback, my decision to support my family by doing an ad would, I think, be intelligible to most people, if not to Mr Jesudason.

‘I accepted the Magners job because the money has allowed me the freedom to take on unpaid or hardly-paid projects which I might otherwise have had to abandon.’

Click here to read Watson’s response in full.

Published: 11 Sep 2009