As he's grilled over racism and domestic abuse

Jim Davidson reportedly prompted an audience walk-out while defending himself from the charge that his act was racist.

According to the tabloids, six people stormed out of his TV interview with Piers Morgan after he spoke about adopting a West Indian accent for his character ‘Chalky’ White.

Davidson also tried to joke about domestic abuse in the interview, to be screened on ITV this weekend.

Speaking of his 1970s and 1980s act, the 64-year-old comic told Morgan: 'When I did that Chalky stuff it was about an accent. The only reason he was black was because I could do the accent.' 

‘Have you noticed black guys now don’t talk like that? I don’t know where that accent comes from. It don’t come from no other country does it? This is an accent young black men or even white men like Dappy talk like that.’

Asked how black people took the gag, Davidson replied: ‘I don’t know. I’ve not met them all yet. They are fine. We had Alf Garnett and Love Thy Neighbour. People ended up loving him.’

Davidson was also challenged over claims he hit his third wife, Alison Holloway. He admitted the relationship was ‘volatile’, but added: ‘What is the point trying to put the record straight? Someone will still call me a wife beater.’

But he also made a joke of the topic, the Mirror reports. When asked if he would hit a woman, he said: ‘Only a small one".

Morgan responded: You know by saying that other women will hate you? When you joke about domestic violence, there was probably a time when you could do that. That time has gone.’

On the show, Davidson estimated that his four divorces had cost him £60million over the years.

• Life Stories: Jim Davidson is on ITV on Saturday at 9.50pm.

Published: 9 Mar 2018