04-05-2025
Comedian Jim Davidson claims the 'BBC want to erase me like Pol Pot' as he rails against wokeness in comedy on new podcast
Jim Davidson has claimed the ' BBC want to erase me like Pol Pot' after the broadcaster refused to sell him the rights to shows he'd previously hosted.
The controversial comedian was speaking on The Criminal Connection Podcast, which is hosted by true crime actor-producer Terry Stone.
The 71-year-old comic also railed against 'wokeness' in the entertainment industry, insisting: 'People are fed up of not being able to do, or watch, or say what they want to.'
Speaking about 60's and 70's children's TV staples like The Magic Roundabout, Davidson told the podcast host that he would 'love' to be able to license them, as well as shows he had hosted for the BBC, for his streaming channel.
He added: 'I get a lot of resistance when we're buying stuff for UStreme TV. The BBC won't sell me The Generation Game or Big Break or anything I've been on.
'They want to totally erase me. It's like Pol Pot in Cambodia.'
The podcast host then added: 'They're rubbing you out Jim.' To which Davidson agreed, saying: 'They're rubbing me out.'
Elsewhere in the podcast the septuagenarian stand-up blasted woke culture and claimed that it originated from California.
Davidson stood in for previous host Bruce Forsyth on The Generation Game, before taking the gig full time from 1995 to 2002 - earning him the nickname 'Mr Saturday Night' - but says the BBC refuse to sell him the rights to air the show on his streaming channel
Davidson said: 'If it makes you laugh, you laugh don't you? People are fed up of not being able to do, or watch, or say what they want to.
'It's all come from political correctness, started in America didn't it. In California, we can't say this or we mustn't say that, oh my god.'
The former Up the Elephant and Round the Castle star also mocked young people for identifying
He said: 'You can identify as a fox, if you're a young girl, you can identify...
'They're thick as s***, young girls, and young people. Young people are so woked up, they're as thick as f****** shit. You're not a fox, go and dress as a human being.
'I like to identify as Brad Pitt. I identify as a young, self-made billionaire. I don't get it. You're a man or a woman or you're mentally f****** ill.
'I can understand a man wanting to be a woman. That's it, you're a man or a woman. That's it, this woke, this two people, it's mental illness.
'And it's OK to be mentally ill now because everyone's got letters after their names haven't they?
'It's like a badge: "My son he's got ADHD, he's got GBH, he's got CEFC," f*** sake he's just a horrible little s***. I'm DGAF, don't give a f***.
'Me on stage, trying to just ridicule everything. I'm working to my audience. So I look at them and think "right, I'm going to lead this lot."'
Davidson was a king of Saturday night television in the nineties, earning a reported £1.5million a year.
He stood in for previous host Bruce Forsyth when he was ill in 1994, before taking the gig full time from 1995 to 2002.
Davidson's reign was characterised by a more lively and chaotic style, introducing characters like Mr. Blobby and comedy sketches.
The 71-year-old also helmed the snooker-themed hit show Big Break from 1991 to 2002, before being dropped by the BBC.
In September 2007 Davidson was a contestant in the reality TV programme Hell's Kitchen in which he was accused of homophobic bullying towards TV presenter and openly gay contestant Brian Dowling. Davidson asked Dowling, 'Are you on our side?'
Speaking about the incident on The Criminal Connection Podcast, Davidson showed little contrition.
He said: 'The next day I thought "f*** this, I'm going home." I phoned the producer who used to be a runner for me ... I said I'm leaving.
'He said "We want to speak to you anyway because what you said to Brian, the conversation you had, would upset viewers, there would be complaints."
'I said "well, edit that be out." If you think it's going to upset the public, surely you have a right to edit that bit out. I said f*** it, I'm off.
'They didn't edit that bit out - they edited it to make it look worse. They threw me under the bus. I didn't actually call him a 'shirt lift'. Come on where does it end.
'I had 18 months on bail and I went straight in and won Big Brother. I don't think there's any room for me in anything like that [I'm A Celeb]. I've got my own TV station now so what do I care.'
Davidson called his 2023 tour 'Not Yet Cancelled' but last year Channel 5 made a documentary looking at his career called The Cancellation of Jim Davidson.
The podcast also saw Davidson addressing some of the unhappier moments in his career, including his time on the sitcom Up the Elephant and Round the Castle.
He said: 'I did a show called Up the Elephant and Round the Castle; they wanted me to leave the comedy and go into a sitcom.
'I had to drink between the bit when you come off stage and go to bed so you can get up in the morning without feeling s***. It just catches up with you. I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.'
