It takes a twisted mind to bookmark a city's pain as potential comedy material.
We are the knee deep in a generation determined to exercise its right to set its own trousers on fire for likes, retweets and attention.
In our post-truth era, where standards, morals and actual shame are relics of a bygone age, anything goes.
Which leads us to a performer - this column is not referring to him as a comedian - called Andrew Lawrence.
Most of us have been with Liverpool, a city still reeling the incident in which a car was driven thrown crowds at the Premier League club's title-winning parade last week.
While the carnage included firefighters needing to rescue three adults and a child trapped under a car, attention-seeking Lawrence saw their trauma as an opportunity to road-test some new material.
His remarks on social media remain too offensive to repeat in this column. His attempts to double down on them equally so.
For people like Lawrence there would appear to be no line, no boundaries of taste and decency.
He woulds go on dismiss his offensive posts as 'mild', adding a string of further, despicable remarks attacking the people of Liverpool.
A reminder here that at least 65 people were injured in that Liverpool incident. It remains a miracle that nobody died.
So it takes a twisted mind of some proportions to bookmark the pain of a nation as potential comedic material.
Mercifully, the response from comedy establishments across the country has been swift and decisive.
One, Caddies in Southend, immediately cancelled an upcoming gig at which Lawrence was scheduled to perform, saying it did not "condone or support" his remarks.
The Comedy Store in London went further.
'He is not welcome at any of our events or venues. His name will never appear on a bill associated with us,' it said.
In a hard-hitting statement, the world-renowned venue added: 'We work with brilliant comedians from across the UK and beyond and we believe in the power of comedy to challenge, uplift and connect - not to target people in moments of real pain.
'That's not comedy. It's cruelty, plain and simple. Mocking a hurting community says far more about him than it ever could about this city.
'Promoters and comedians who continue to book or share a stage with him should think carefully about what that says to audiences.
'If you're standing by him, you're standing against everything this industry should represent.'
Lawrence responded by insisting in his Instagram defence that he has just finished a nationwide tour and has no plans to do another one any time soon.
Predictably, some of the entitled comedy set - convinced they have a pass to try and elicit laughter from every single scenario, regardless of how traumatised the victims - tried to put their heads above the parapet on this one.
But real comedy is when we punch up, no down. If kids trapped under cars is suitable material for clowns who want to make a name for themselves then our meltdown as a society really will be faster than first thought.
Laughably, Lawrence is still taking aim at his critics, claiming selective outrage.
Tellingly, however, he has been disabling replies to his tweets and has even embarked on a blocking spree.
Yep, he was brave enough to dish it out but too terrified to take it.
Even some fans of his right wing humour decided he'd crossed a bridge too far, treating his words and his disgraceful defence of them with the derision they deserved.
Lawrence also accused Caddies, the venue that axed him, of 'losing their courage after being bombarded with abuse and threats of violence from online trolls'.
It was an attempt to mischaracterise the justified anger from the sensible majority questioning whether his puerile remarks were really going to be indulged at the venue.
Because while he might believe he can say what he likes with no limits, private comedy clubs have the absolute right to decide who does and does not perform at their establishments.
Thank goodness his 15 minutes of fame are approaching the final few seconds.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Review Geek
9 hours ago
- The Review Geek
Built In Birmingham: Brady & The Blues Review
Season 1 Episode Guide No Fear Turn the Page Joys & Sorrows This will be Bananaland Keep Right On While Premier League football gets a lot of the plaudits when it comes to the moniker of 'best league in the world', few outside of the footballing sphere realize just how competitive and cutthroat the lower leagues actually are. Nowhere else is that more evident than in Prime Video's latest docuseries, Built In Birmingham: Brady & The Blues. Taking over Birmingham City FC, Tom Wagner from Knighthead Capital Management (a US-based investment firm), pumped millions into rejuvenating the football club, determined to create a culture of winning from a team seemingly content with Championship mediocrity and phantom pregnancies (the analogy makes sense in the documentary, don't worry!) Taking a leaf out of Wrexham's book, Wagner isn't the sole focus here as Tom Brady, the former NFL star, purchased a 3.3% stake of the club. You'd never know it from this docu-series though, as Tom Brady is largely placed front and center at every opportunity. When he speaks, he compares a lot of his own ups and downs with that of Birmingham City's fortunes. Along with fly on the wall footage of him arriving at training sessions, watching games from the stands (and eventually on his iPad back home later on) and random segments of him around Birmingham, we also see him discussing the club's culture. Amusingly, the two make a huge mistake early on in appointing Wayne Rooney in charge of the club, a man who has a reputation of failing at every single football club he's managed. The five episodes focus on Birmingham City's rebirth though, starting with its relegation and crash-out into League 1 (thanks Rooney) before the eventual resurgence and record-breaking year, helped of course by Wagner splashing the cash and bringing in top talent to get the team out of the dregs of League 1. It's not all smooth sailing though, and after episode 1, the documentary works its way through the season's hiccups and issues. Cameras showcase key team talks both at half-time and the full-time whistle, along with following key team members and managers as they try to navigate this new world order. There's also a rather bizarre inclusion of Peaky Blinders quotes and famous scenes (get it? Because it's a Brummie-based drama?) that don't really add much to the show other than remind us of where we are. I'm genuinely not sure why this was needed, or who it's supposed to appeal to. To be fair, Peaky Blinders is a great show but we don'tneed Tommy Shelby giving a rousing speech about mind games before Birmingham go to war with the mighty Rotherham. However, the action on the pitch is where this docu-series shines and thankfully, the commentary draws on some of the great EFL voices, including Bill Leslie and Don Goodman. There are plenty of highlights here, including Birmingham's fiery clash with Newcastle in the Cup, a particularly tense game with Wrexham away and some big (see: exaggerated for this documentary) injury blows along the way that look set to derail the Blue train. But really, after spending mountains of cash and riding a wave of good faith from the fans, Birmingham's season was nothing short of a steamroll back into the Championship. The filmmakers do seem to sense this and a lot of the drama we see here feels a lot more artificial and manufactured than it perhaps should be. Even in episode 1, where the fans and critics bemoan that Birmingham have never won anything, it's never mentioned once that the club won the League Cup in 2010 and one of those relegations from the Prem came thanks to one foolhardy last minute goal from Tottenham that sent them down during the Premier League's best relegation scrap of all time. However, even with the positives, it's hard not to forget Brady's words early in the documentary. 'It's not a vanity project,' He tells us… even though half the documentary features his NFL highlights, jetting off to the US for the Superbowl and comparing his own career to that of the Blues. As a reminder, this is a man with a 3.3% stake in the company, I'm not sure if the intention here is to try and bring American fans into the project and gain good faith like Wrexham have, but unlike Rob and Ryan's charisma and feel-good energy, what's here feels a lot more cynical and blatant. In fact, one of the commentators mentions how Wrexham VS Birmingham is akin to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood VS the suits of New York, and it's a fitting analogy. However, Brummie fans will be in their element here, seeing the club's rise back to the Championship and their hopes for a rollicking good time in the most competitive league in English football for the year ahead. Whether Birmingham can keep those feel-good vibes going (and the cash splashing) for years to come is anyone's guess but the club does seem to be going in the right direction. Built in Birmingham is a decent enough stop-gap before the football league starts up properly later this month, but it's nowhere near as good as it could have been.
Scottish Sun
11 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
New Man Utd hero Ethan Williams following in footsteps of history-making uncle immortalised in mural by rivals Man City
His legendary uncle compared Ethan Williams to a former Premier League winger WILL I NEVER New Man Utd hero Ethan Williams following in footsteps of history-making uncle immortalised in mural by rivals Man City Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HIS famous uncle is a Manchester City legend who became the first black goalkeeper to play in the English top-flight. But Manchester United youngster Ethan Williams has no time to worry about torn family loyalties between the Red and Blue side of the city. 9 Ethan Williams is the new kid on the block at Manchester United Credit: Getty 9 The teenager was embraced by his team-mates after scoring his first Man Utd goal Credit: Getty 9 Ethan's uncle Alex Williams MBE has spent most of his life employed by Manchester City Credit: Getty 9 Williams is a Manchester hero, something Ethan will surely hope to become one day Credit: Getty Play Dream Team now! Play The Sun Dream Team ahead of the 2025/26 season Free to play Over £100,000 in total prize money Play in Mini Leagues against your mates Submit a team for Gameweek 1 to enter £5,000 prize draw Play via Dream Team's app or website today! That's because the 19-year-old winger is too busy trying to break into Ruben Amorim's Premier League squad before their season opener against Arsenal on August 16. Local Manchester lad Ethan's "dreams came true" when he scored his first United goal during the club's 4-1 win over Bournemouth in Chicago on Wednesday. A minute after coming on, the academy graduate was on hand to pick up the ball from inside the box after new signing Diego Leon tripped over while driving towards goal. And before you knew it, Ethan, who is equally sharp with both feet, cut inside and unleashed a devastating right-foot finish into former Chelsea stopper Djordje Petrovic's near post. READ MORE MAN UTD MAN UTD FILES Amorim reckons Sesko is 'dynamite' who could help Hojlund explode into life Rarely does this United team score four goals. And rarely - if ever- does Amorim celebrate when they do hit the back of the net. In fact, fans will be hard pressed to remember a single time when the Portuguese gaffer joyfully jumped up and down the sideline. We've simply never seen it. On that, Amorim, 40, said: 'I celebrated that goal. 'It is not usually even during the season but I celebrated that goal because I really like to see the kids who work really well, who don't have a lot of space during training, but still they are there. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS 'They understand the idea, they press and fight. They controlled the game so I'm pleased.' Ethan had expected to spend much of this summer working with the Under-21s, only for Amorim to last week give him the nod for their pre-season tour to the United States. Amorim refuses to guarantee Hojlund Man Utd future amid Sesko transfer push But while Ethan dreams of Old Trafford glory, his uncle Alex, 63, is a true blue icon who would've been celebrating somewhere too. Alex made history when he became the first black goalkeeper to play in the old First Division in 1980, going on to made 125 appearances for City until 1985. He's also a celebrated figure for his incredible 33 years with City in the community, earning an MBE in 2002 - three years before Ethan was born - for his work with young people. He's destined to be a star, although it's a shame his favourite colour is red rather than blue. Alex Williams about Ethan And that saw Alex join club legends David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Ilkay Gundogan in having a pitch at the training ground named after him. The local Moss Side ex-stopper is even included in a dazzling mural in Platt Lane, Fallowfield, Manchester - metres away from where he grew up close to City's old Maine Road Stadium. The proud uncle charted the highs and lows of his career in a 2023 autobiography that also touched upon a teenager making waves at Carrington. 9 Williams takes centre stage of a new Manchester City mural, alongside women's stars Chelsea Nightingale and Khiara Keating and Fallowfield-born Neil Young Credit: MEN Media 9 The 63-year-old became the first black goalkeeper to play in the old First Division in the 80s Credit: Alamy 9 Alex made more than 100 appearances for United's closest rivals City Credit: Shutterstock Editorial In his book 'You Saw Me Standing Alone', Alex wrote: 'Ethan is progressing well and has the potential to go all the way. 'He's the younger son of my brother Lloyd and is similar in style to former City winger Leroy Sane. "He's quick, has a terrific left foot and an eye for goal. He's destined to be a star, although it's a shame his favourite colour is red rather than blue. 'I just hope Ethan is as happy during his career as I was during mine.' Incidentally, Alex's final City appearance came during a 3-0 home defeat against Man Utd, where he gave away a penalty in 1985 - a year after lifting the Under-21 European Championships with England. 9 Ruben Amorim more or less celebrated for the first time after Ethan scored on Wednesday Credit: Getty After brief spells with Queen of the South and Port Vale, Alex hung up his gloves at the young age of 25 in 1987 due recurrent back injuries. Ethan joined United from Rochdale aged 14 and quickly settled in, later earning calls to join first team training under former boss Erik ten Hag. The tricky forward signed his first professional contract with United a year ago in July 2024, and was quickly shipped out on loan to gain experience at Cheltenham Town. He's just returned from a fruitful loan spell with the League Two side, where he netted twice in 17 appearances. And Ethan might be hoping for a mural of his own on the Trafford side of the city in the distant future.
BBC News
13 hours ago
- BBC News
Drug dealer caught out by picture of own driveway
A prolific drug-dealer was caught out after sending pictures of his own driveway in Liverpool over the supposedly secure Encrochat messaging Caldwell also used his own child's name and sent pictures of his home CCTV system to fellow criminals on the network, which was hacked by French police in 37, was identified as the Encrochat user behind the handle 'box-bat' - which played a "leading role" in the supply of 16kg (35 lbs) of cocaine, 2kg (4 lbs) of heroin and 14kg (30 lbs) of cannabis between March and June 2020. He was jailed for 12 years at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and one to supply Class B drugs. The court heard earlier that Caldwell, of Lynnbank Road in Calderstones, had also discussed the trade of his licensed taxi cars in chats with other Encrochat users. Det Insp James Boardman, of Merseyside Police, said: "Caldwell is just the latest person to be brought to justice for their involvement in the widescale peddling of drugs on the streets of Merseyside."In June the force announced that five years on from the Encrochat hack, 180 people had been sentenced to a total of 2,261 years in prison in Merseyside. Detectives in the region said they are still working their way through hundreds of files relating to other Encrochat handles. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
