Festival Organiser Won’t Stand By Minchin

Aussie musical comic Tim Minchin has upset UK audiences again, following a performance at the Henley Festival in the UK last week. During the performance, members of the crowd became offended by some of Minchin's material, including a statement that allegedly “poked fun at boat people” – according to the Henley Standard – and his song Woody Allen Jesus, which Minchin wrote for The Jonathan Ross Show but which didn't go to air after ITV dropped it at the last minute. A number of complaints were reportedly made to the festival.

In an interview with the aforementioned local newspaper, the Henley Festival's artistic director Stewart Collins said he regretted the offence caused and said that the performance was not what he was expecting. Comedy website Chortle has contacted the festival for comment as to why they wouldn't stand by Minchin's material but received no response.

In response to the complaints, Minchin certainly didn't appear to have any regrets.

“I played a set that I thought would only offend the most boring minority of the audience, and I think that's what it did.

“Frankly, if I'm not at least vaguely prodding the atrophied grey matter of the most conservative 10 per cent of the besuited punters of Henley-on-Thames, I'm utterly failing in my job.”