38 h. ago I have been criticised for being part of the Riyadh comedy festival. This is why I did it | Omid Djalili

The headlines focus on money, but the gigs were great and I think there are different ways to achieve progress. Art, especially comedy, can be part of thatAfter 15 years of turning down offers to perform standup comedy in Saudi Arabia due to the country’s human rights record, this time I took the gig. Why?There’s a push for change in Saudi, and signs are discernible. Yet many from the outside would rather comedians in the west stayed away. At a time when freedom of speech is under attack, the backlash against comedians who participated in the Riyadh comedy festival reflects our ongoing struggle to find consensus on this and many issues affecting humanity. Continue reading...

Culture

4 d. ago Louis CK defends decision to perform at Riyadh comedy festival as ‘a good opportunity’

Comedian admits to mixed feelings but says event is a ‘positive thing’ despite human rights abuses in Saudi ArabiaLouis CK has defended his decision to perform at the Riyadh comedy festival in Saudi Arabia after fellow comedians criticised the big names taking part as whitewashing a regime guilty of human rights abuses.Speaking on Real Time With Bill Maher, CK, who is co-headlining the festival with the British comedian Jimmy Carr on Monday night local time, said other comedians had been “really surprised” by the response from audiences in Riyadh so far. Continue reading...

Culture

7 d. ago EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Paul Merton scorns Carr over Saudi comedy cash

Billed as the biggest event of its kind, Saudi Arabia's inaugural Riyadh Comedy Festival boasts Jimmy Carr and Jack Whitehall in its line-up, as well as US funnymen Dave Chappelle and Bill Burr.

Transport

8 d. ago Pete Davidson and Kevin Hart among comedians criticised for controversial comedy festival

Bill Burr and Jimmy Carr are among the many comedians receiving backlash from comedy colleagues and the public after signing on to the Riyadh Comedy festival despite Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses

Culture

9 d. ago US comedians defend decision to play in Saudi Arabia: ‘They’re paying me enough to look the other way’

Usual supporters of free speech are under fire for signing on to Riyadh festival despite the government’s human rights abusesBilled as “the biggest comedy festival in the world”, the inaugural Riyadh Comedy festival, which is running 26 September to 9 October, features some of the biggest names in US comedy. The lineup features Dave Chappelle, Louis CK, Bill Burr, Kevin Hart, Whitney Cummings, Pete Davidson, Aziz Ansari and Jo Koy, among many others who are all taking their fees directly from the Saudi government.The event’s producers include Sela (a live events company owned by Saudia Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund) and the kingdom’s General Entertainment Authority, chaired by Turki Alalshikh, a royal adviser dogged by allegations of human rights violations, including the detention of people who criticize him on social media. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago 'They're paying me enough to look the other way': How the likes of Jimmy Carr and Jack Whitehall are pocketing huge sums to appear at a comedy festival in Saudi Arabia

Anyone who dares try it is likely to be met by muted, awkward laughter... but nothing like the resounding silence that has greeted the announcement of the line-up for the event.

Events

1 week ago ‘Don’t 9/11 your friends’: Marc Maron, Shane Gillis slam Pete Davidson, Kevin Hart and other stars over Saudi comedy festival

‘One reporter was killed by the government but not a f***ing hill I’m going to die on,’ comedian Tim Jefferies told podcaster Theo Von

Culture

2 w. ago Tim Dillon says he was fired from Riyadh Comedy Festival over slavery jokes

Comedian claims he was paid $375,000 to appear at the festival

Events

2 w. ago Jimmy Carr and Omid Djalili face backlash from campaigners over Saudi Arabia festival

The comics are set to appear at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, which human rights campaigners say is being held to deflect attention from its 'brutal repression of free speech and other pervasive human rights violations'.

Transport

2 w. ago AD FEATURE: New comedy festival brings the stars of TV, radio, stand

Robin Ince, Mick Miller, Lou Conran and Tez Ilyas will be among the acts performing across the borough

Culture

3 w. ago Laughter returns to the North East as Aberdeen Comedy Festival kicks off next week

Aberdeen Comedy Festival makes a welcome return next week with a fortnight of funny in the Granite City from Monday, September 22 to Sunday, October 5. Revived by Aberdeen Performing Arts and supported by Aberdeen Inspired, the festival promises a packed line-up of leading names to rising stars, household favourites to local heroes, from stand-up to improv to tickle your funny bone.

Culture