...Jim Davidson has come out in support

It might not be the sort of praise they want – but Jim Davidson has come out in support of Matt Lucas and David Walliams' new comedy Come Fly With Me.

The duo had been accused of racism after ‘blacking up’ to play such characters as Indian ground crew worker Taaj and lazy coffee shop worker Precious, from the West Indies.

Now Davidson, who has long been accused of racism in his stand-up, especially over his black character ‘Chalkie’, has written a piece in The Sun defending the characters.

He said: ‘I don't believe for one minute they have a racist bone in their bodies. They are falling victim to political correctness - just as I did. And political correctness is killing comedy.

‘We are a multi-racial society and we should celebrate the fact. They are showing the characters you would expect to see at an airport and that includes people like Precious and Taaj. Wouldn't just showing white characters at the airport be more racist?

‘It amuses me in a way that Lucas and Walliams have been allowed to "black up". I'm glad it seems common sense is now starting to replace political correctness in telly land.’

Davidson added: ‘A lot of ethnic people come to my live shows and I have never had anyone tell me they had been offended.’

Published: 7 Jan 2011