There has been a backlash against British comedian John Cleese, after he suggested Irish name-spellings are the reason Ireland 'never had an empire'.
It comes after a person on Twitter pointed out the spelling of the name 'Caoimhe' - to which the 'Faulty Towers' star said: "No wonder the Irish never had an empire".
No wonder the Irish never had an empire https://t.co/BNcKQFTP8F
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) July 1, 2020
Comedian Peter Flanagan told The Hard Shoulder it is sad to see.
"It's not the first time John Cleese has put his foot in it.
"I think it's an interesting insight into the mind of the Brexiteer, I suppose.
"But I don't find it offensive, I'm not up in arms about it: I think it's a lazy joke, it's a stereotype, and it's a bit sad to see John Cleese lowered to it really.
"I lived in the UK for three years, so you become totally desensitised to this kind of thing.
"You get these Irishman jokes all the time, so I'm not in the least bit offended.
"You just become bored by it - it's not interesting.
"John Cleese was a purveyor of this very innovative surrealist style of comedy, he kind of re-wrote the rule books for comedy.
"And now he's doing these jokes that could fit into a Bernard Manning set from the 1970s.
"It's just a bit disappointing to see".
Fellow comedian Tom O'Mahoney said: "Cleese has definitely lost his edge, there's no doubt, as Peter was saying.
"The joke was crap, and that's how it should be looked at.
"The joke was crap and I do think it was just a joke".
"The guy is about 142... he's on death's door, God's waiting room and all the rest of it.
"I think he spent his life trying to rattle people's cages, and he's probably sitting back loving it right now.
"I find it funner how angry people are actually getting at it".
