John Cleese worries lack of diversity in the Lionesses

EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Monty Python star John Cleese, 82, worries that the lack of diversity in the England women’s football team could lead to the BBC giving the Lionesses the boot

Poor old John Cleese. The increasingly sensitive soul is worried that the lack of diversity in the England women’s football team could lead to the BBC giving the Lionesses the boot.

The Monty Python star, 82, said: ‘Is it right that they should all be blondes?’

‘The BBC now demands that entertainers in their shows reflect diversity, under a fairly rigid quota system. Is there a danger the BBC will refuse to broadcast matches starring such a non-inclusive team?’

Opinionated: Monty Python star John Cleese, 82, said he’s worried that the lack of diversity in the England women’s football team could lead to the BBC giving the Lionesses the boot 

Daily Mail’s Richard Eden reports that the Monty Python star, 82, said: ‘Is it right that they should all be blondes?’

Given the Pythons’ ties to Oxford and Cambridge, Cleese’s comments are no doubt in response to former BBC head of comedy Shane Allen, who previously said that if the Beeb were commissioning a new show these days, ‘it’s not going to be [by] six Oxbridge white blokes’.

His words come after John slammed woke culture for having a ‘disastrous’ effect on comedy.

The veteran funnyman said he does not believe comedians have the freedom to be funny anymore, blasting today’s cancel culture as the ‘death of creativity’.

The Fawlty Towers icon, who has worked in the comedy industry for decades, told FreedomFest in Las Vegas, as reported by Fox News, that the current crackdown on jokes which could be perceived as offensive is putting off young comedians.

In recent years, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Jimmy Carr and Ricky Gervais are among the stars who have been criticized for their material, although they are still among the highest-paid and most successful comedians in the world.

Cleese said: ‘I think it’s particularly worrying at the moment because you can only create in an atmosphere of freedom, where you’re not checking everything you say critically before you move on.

‘A lot of comedians now are sitting there and when they think of something, they say something like, “Can I get away with it? I don’t think so. So and so got into trouble, and he said that, oh, she said that.” You see what I mean? And that’s the death of creativity.’

Hitting back: Given the Pythons’ ties to Oxford and Cambridge, Cleese’s comments are no doubt in response to former BBC head of comedy Shane Allen, who previously said that if the Beeb were commissioning a new show these days, ‘it’s not going to be [by] six Oxbridge white blokes’. (pictured in Monty Python)

Cleese acknowledged that his audience tends to be older and less sensitive to jokes that may cause offence to certain sections of society.

He added: ‘You can do the creation and then criticize it, but you can’t do them at the same time. So if you’re worried about offending people and constantly thinking of that, you are not going to be very creative. So I think it has a disastrous effect.’

The A Fish Called Wanda star said he believes no comedian should ever be ‘canceled’ for a joke, and taboo topics are often a source of humor.

In March, Cleese had his microphone confiscated at the South by Southwest festival panel in which he suggested Italy and France owed historic reparations for enslaving Brits.

Comedy star: John landed himself in hot water during his own event when he jokingly suggested Italy and France owed historic reparations for enslaving British people

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