The comedian Roy “Chubby” Brown has been prohibited from performing again at a council-owned venue in Consett, following a series of cancellations of his shows in other places.
Durham County Council informed the BBC that the comic will not be returning to its Empire Theatre in Consett.
Some of Brown’s shows have been cancelled in the past year, with one council stating that he was not “compatible” with its values.
The tour manager of Brown expressed his bafflement over the decision not to host his shows, saying in a social media post that the comic, whose real name is Royston Vasey, was informed that his show did not align with the Consett theatre’s “vision” for future acts. He went on to say that as a result of this decision, the management of the Empire Theatre has decided not to allow Brown to return, following similar decisions by venues in recent months, including Workington, Sheffield, and Edinburgh.
Brown’s tour manager, Ritchie Hoyle, added that he and Brown would “soldier on” and that “snowflakes would not get us down”.
The council confirmed that Brown would not be returning to the venue, but did not provide any additional information.
The head of culture, sport and tourism, Alison Clark, said,
“We can confirm that we were approached by Roy Chubby Brown’s tour manager and have responded to say we have no plans to book this act at Empire Consett.”
He had performed at the theatre on numerous occasions, and in 2013, he asked those who were not offended to “please stay away”.
In September 2021, over 28,000 individuals signed a petition after a similar planned performance was cancelled by Sheffield City Trust.
He had been scheduled to appear at Sheffield City Hall, but the show was cancelled when trust chief Andrew Snelling stated that Brown’s material did not reflect its values.
At the time, Sheffield City Council leader Terry Fox said that the authority “wholeheartedly” supported the trust’s decision.
Meanwhile, Lancaster City Council cancelled Brown’s plans to perform at The Platform in Morecambe in August 2022.
Its chief executive, Mark Davies, said that it was a “fair, diverse, and inclusive organization,” and Brown’s shows were not “compatible with these values,” with the council saying that parts of his act were “outwardly racist, homophobic, and misogynistic.”
This prompted Brown’s tour manager to apologize to his fans and say, “woke culture wins again, I’m afraid – the world’s gone mad.”
Article submitted by Simon Leyburn, 7/4/2023
