Gags 'disrespectful', paper claims

Paddy McGuinness has become the latest comedian to be pilloried in the press, after cracking jokes at the Royal Variety Performance that were not considered ‘wholesome’ enough.

The Phoenix Nights star reportedly received a ‘muted’ reaction to the innuendo-laden routine he performed to an audience including the Queen and Prince Philip in Blackpool on Monday night.

According to the Daily Mail, ‘audience members including young children were left stunned after… McGuinness delivered a number of crude sexual innuendoes’.

However, it could simply have been that the 3,000-strong crowd at the Opera House Theatre did not find the 36-year-old funny.

Part of his act included a spoof guide to living in the north of England, which he indicated on a map with a pointer.

He said: ‘I know what you're thinking. I've got a small pointer. But my girlfriend always tells me that the smallest acorns make the biggest oaks.

Addressing the Queen, he added: ‘You may be the Queen of our country, but we’ve got our own queen here in the North. Paul O'Grady.

And he said of an Indian restaurant: ‘You haven't lived until you've had eight of Ahmed's peshwari balls in your mouth.’

The Mail claimed the jokes were ‘disrespectful’ in a show that traditionally serves up ‘wholesome’ entertainment.

The show, which also featured performances from comedians Peter Kay, Adam Hills, Hal Cruttenden, Jason Manford and Paul Zerdin, will be edited before it airs on ITV1 at 7.30pm next Wednesday.

On his Twitter page McGuinness said nothing of how well he had gone down on the night, but said it was strange meeting the Royals in the line-up after the show.

The Queen asked him how he ‘found using the stage’, and Prince Philip asked him what he was doing next. ‘I said a new dating show for ITV,’ McGuinness Tweeted. ‘He swiftly moved on, I’m guessing he's not an avid Blind Date fan.’

Published: 9 Dec 2009