‘Authentic Stupidity’: Ben Elton on how idiotic humans can be

The comedian Ben Elton says he's spent his 45-year career "exploring the outer limits of human idiocy."

Best known for his work on Blackadder and the Young Ones, as well as writing musicals and novels, will tour this summer with a new standup show he's called 'Authentic Stupidity’.

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[escapetheratracenow]

"In a democracy, it is necessary for people to learn to endure having their sentiments outraged" - Bertrand Russell
Conflating disagreement with hatred is the calling card of an immature and underdeveloped mind.

[BrockSamson-ii]

"often, people haven't really been listening" - yes

[paulburton]

Thank God for Ben Elton in this mad world. I've been watching him since the 80s. The Young Ones might be dated now, but everything he says in interviews and in his stand-up is always right up to date.

[MaggotTayne]

Ben: Can I come on your channel to promote my new tour?
C4: That’s not really news-worthy
Ben: What if I complain about cancel culture?

[MAGNUMF]

We should not have people deciding on what's offensive or not. Assume people have their own opinions and that these will often be different from yours. The era of no debate is over.

[duncankowable]

what the UK needs now is Prime Minister Blackadder. That's a cunning plan.

[woodyspooner]

Trigger warning, life isn't all sunshine and ice cream. You may see or hear unpleasant things that you may disagree with. Grow up and deal with it.

[markpostgate]

I wondered where Elton would fall on it because in some ways he was part of a vanguard of the culture that has become so repressive now - for example he was a key influencer in ending Benny Hill's career, and he was always one of the more prudish of the alternative comedians - although I always thought it a bit ironic that on channel 4's Saturday Night Live he would do a ranty piece about racism in comedy and then hand immediaely over to Stavros ("ello everybody peeps, it's me Stav innit?") which bore all the features of what Elton had been ranting about - and in some ways Elton led us into 80s political correctness whilst Enfield led us out towards the more liberated 00s of Little Britain and South Park - and in some ways the Little Britain team have gone the other way, being terribly edgy in the 00s when it was fashionable to be edgy but apologising for it as soon as the fashion is to be hypersensitive, and I don't think it is very impressive to be fashionable. You know what is fashionable? Clay.

I actually find it quite interesting that Elton is prepared to say there is a problem, whereas Stewart Lee, who I would have expected to be contrarian, seems oblivious to it.

But I think the biggest problem is the way people can self-shelter. Aa lot of my points if evolution in the 90s was due to an idea or counter-argument to a piece of dogma I had been indoctrinated into that I simply stumbled upon, whether it was flicking through TV, browsing in a library or bookshop, listening to the radio, hearing expressed in a small gathering of friends, and I think with streaming, blocking, trigger warnings, deplatforming, social atomisation, discourse moving to online social media rather than pubs and parties et cetera it is so easy for people to coccoon themselves away from challenging views - sure there is a great market in independent podcasts, stand up comics, alternative news et cetera but people have to seek them out and get to tailor their own diet of ideas - it is all available to anyone willing to seek it out, but there is not much opportunity for stumbling upon a challenging view by accident and I think we all need opportunities for accidentally stumbling upon things.

[Thunderer]

"Double seat, Double seat, gotta get a double seat!"

[wightangel]

Ben Elton should be recognised for his contribution to British comedy.

[jimstirling]

A touch of irony giving the many times he has taken offence

[tranquility]

The fact that the police will send seven officers over a tweet and my car was stolen from outside my house and they didn't lift a finger, didn't want to know says it all

[angelabrooke]

Have to agree with him. Nice to hear someone whois intelligent. Refreshing change

[SpacialKatana]

Five pounds to get into my own bedroom, what have you done turn it into a roller disco? 🤣🤣🤣

[pcat]

2024, people who can't control their own emotions want others arrested

[PC]

I agree wholeheartedly with Ben Elton here but it doesn't change my negative opinion of him ruining Benny Hill's career to make a political point back in the 80s.

[andyhello]

Yep, being offended is not a hate crime

People used to just leave people alone they hate, now we live in a world where people think everyone must like what they hate, and allow threats to them to exist just because people cannot say no today, without thinking you will offend someone.

About time someone in public said this like elton said

Being offended is not a hate crime

People have no way of knowing why people are the way they are, and just because two people hate each other, there is thousands of reasons why can happen.

All people on earth will have a few friends in life if they are fortunate

Alot of people have no friends

Where does this idea that everyone is supposed to like each other come from?

[doonewatts]

Ben is that rare thing someone who never utters the phrase 'It was better in my day'

[AnthonyKellett]

It's interesting, what Ben said about Thatcher. I always said precisely the same thing about Tony Benn. Credit where credit is due.

[RS-jblf]

Didn’t think much of Elton, but when he articulately summarised our unelected, deceitful PM, Sunak, he went up massively in my opinion. I’m going to watch his show live!