Watson responds to Frankie Boyle jibes

Mark Watson has responded to comments made about him by fellow stand-up comedian Frankie Boyle.

Boyle called Watson a "c**t" and a "notorious sellout" after he criticised his controversial material.

In a column for the New Statesman, Watson welcomed the freedom of speech that now exists for comedians, but explained: "The trouble is, if you don't draw a line somewhere, what may have started out as 'edginess' can quickly turn into mean-spirited bullying of the weakest members of society.

"It is hard not to wonder whether comedy's freedom of speech is as much of a step forward as we thought, especially if all it means is that a largely white, middle-class audience gets to laugh at other people whose lives haven't turned out as well as theirs; or if, in the process, it allows stereotypes to be hammered home that comedy should be breaking down, rather than reinforcing."

He added: "I am as guilty as anyone else of taking on soft targets to get laughs and saying things on the spur of the moment that, in hindsight, sound awful.

"I am also aware - as my adversary pointed out - that I've done things that suggest a lack of integrity.

"I think that comedians should have a debate about the limits of their freedom to talk about things that could hurt defenceless people. If there are no limits, then fair enough. But live comedy might end up losing a bit of its faddishness."

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