Jimmy Carr wows fans in Sheffield and confirms return visit despite courting controversy with Holocaust joke

The controversial comedian found himself in hot water around two months ago after his infamous Holocaust joke provoked national outrage.

The material was part of Carr’s Netflix special His Dark Material in which he stated that the atrocity was a positive thing because some gypsies were killed.

The show premiered on Christmas Day, but it wasn't until a clip of that joke began circulating on social media in February that it sparked widespread outrage, with calls for Netflix to pull the show.

Fellow comedians, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, and even Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined the chorus of condemnation and many have called for his apology.

Some also called for the ban against his shows from public venue such as Roy Chubby Brown had been over his material.

The 49-year-old, who is known for his stand-up and roles on shows like 8 Out Of 10 Cats, even took a three-week break from Twitter on which he is usually very active and yet to respond publicly to the accusations of racism.

‘Please be offensive’

But his remark seemed to have caused no effect on his fans, as the tickets for Saturday’s gig sold out and only a handful of seats are available for another date on December 16.

Tweeting before his show last night, he said: “I’m at the City Hall in Sheffield this evening. I’ll be back again in December if you missed me this time.”

His fans then took to Twitter and thanked him for the ‘quality night’, with some even asked him to ‘please be offensive’.

One wrote: “We have been this evening. For my birthday present from 2020. We expected it to be sick and twisted. Thankfully it was this and more. We f***ing loved it.”

A woman said she looks forward to catching him live when he returns in December.

She said: “I’m booked in for your show there in December. Can’t wait.

Another wrote: “Please be offensive.”

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What did he say in response to criticism?

According to The Mirror, during an appearance at Whitley Bay Playhouse, when asked ‘are we going to talk about the Holocaust?’, he is said to have replied: “We are going to talk about cancel culture, the whole thing. We are going to talk about f***ing everything, people. Relax.”

The comic reportedly added: “We are speaking, my friends, in the last chance saloon. What I am saying on stage this evening is barely acceptable now. In 10 years, f***ing forget about it.

“You are going to be able to tell your grandchildren about seeing this show tonight. You will say I saw a man and he stood on a stage and he made light of serious issues. We used to call them jokes and people would laugh.”

He then told the audience: “There’s a rare psychological disorder that causes people to tell inappropriate jokes. I know I have got it.”

Sheffield City Trust, which runs Sheffield City Hall, said it did not in any way condone Carr’s comments and had been assured by the promoter that the show does not repeat the Netflix material.