Racist - or misrepresented?

Right-wing comic Leo Kearse seeks apology over tweet that 'smeared' him

Comedian Leo Kearse is demanding an apology after saying he was ‘smeared’ by a senior member of the newly formed Live Comedy Association who implied he was racist.

He has called on the organisation to take action against producer Saima Ferdow, who is its representative for representation and inclusion, over a tweet she posted last week.

It came after Kearse appeared on Radio 4’s Today programme to discuss diversity un the BBC’s comedy output.

The Scottish stand-up, who describes himself right-wing, said that it was important for the Corporation to give more airtime to working-class comedians and those with more varied political views as well as addressing ethnic diversity.

He said: ‘When BBC comedy attempts diversity it's often only skin deep, with BAME acts such as Nish Kumar having the same privileged Oxbridge voice as everyone else.’

And to make his point, he said: ‘If you shut your eyes, Nish Kumar could be any other middle-class white guy.’

But the comment drew some backlash on Twitter, with actor and writer Alex Andreou posting: ‘I'd love to what Leo thinks a person of colour should sound like.’

In response, Ferdow posted: ‘Was once told Leo was right-wing but not racist… OK then’, followed by a string of upside-down smiley faces to stress her sarcasm.

It is this comment which has drawn Kearse’s ire, claiming his point had been deliberately misrepresented.

Writing an open letter to the Live Comedy Association on Facebook, he said: ‘The intent of my message was clear to everyone listening - that the BBC has a lack of diversity and draws the majority of its talent from a tiny unrepresentative pool of privately-educated Oxbridge graduates. 

Calling for a public apology and token donation to Amnesty International, he wrote: ‘I consider this unsupported public smearing of my name unprofessional and contrary to the spirit of the LCA and purpose of the representation & inclusion rep.

Ferdows – who has produced live shows from Sophie Duker, Bilal Zafar and Sukh Olja – has not responded to a request for comment.

Published: 7 Sep 2020

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