Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Ricky’s gig minders
He hires guards after his Netflix trans comments cause uproar
COMIC Ricky Gervais has hired bodyguards for stand-up gigs after being accused of poking fun at transgender people in a TV show.
The star caused uproar with comments made in Netflix one-off special SuperNature last week.
Now Gervais, 59, has recruited 10 security staff given their first outing at a low-key warm-up appearance this week for a potential series of gigs.
A source said he couldn’t “take any chances” following a stage attack on US comic Dave
Chapelle, 48, last month at the Hollywood Bowl after his own Netflix special last year was accused of being transphobic.
He was knocked to the floor on stage by a man armed with a replica gun fitted with a knife, but was uninjured.
The Gervais team is believed to cost up to £10,000 a night. They appeared in black suits wearing earpieces at The Office star’s show at London’s Leicester Square Theatre. The guards, in the aisles and flanking him on stage, scanned the audience throughout his performance.
Organisers had ordered all bags were to be searched and no one was allowed bottles in their seats.
One member of staff said: “There’s concern there might be trouble from trans activists.
“If I were him, you can’t be too careful. Especially not at the moment.” Gervais joked to the audience: “I have some new thoughts – I can’t help it, they just arrive. I say it and then Netflix put it out and none of it’s my fault.
“SuperNature dropped on Netflix only a week ago and there’s this big backlash and got all people arguing but I like to keep out of it.
“Everyone was really cross with me with people saying you can’t say that but I can, I did. Yes, I did. And then it became the most-watched special of the year, so I’ve learned my lesson.”
He added, to much laughter: “I’m like that guy in a Western who starts a fight and then crawls out of the bar.”
A new Gervais Netflix special is expected to be released early next year
SHOW bosses want this year’s series to be the sexiest ever – and have even put bondage equipment in the villa.
The Hideaway will include a paddle – used for spanking by S&M fetishists. A source said: “The show
could be the raunchiest Love Island ever. There is an S&M paddle in The Hideaway and contestants will be allowed to have sex anywhere.
“There is a new area called the Fire Pit which is outside by the kitchen. It’s a pretty open space but if contestants want to they would be able to get intimate there – although
that could be pretty awkward for the rest of the housemates.
“But there are rules. Sex must be consensual and they must use protection.”
It comes as narrator Iain Stirling says the show will be the “sexiest series we’ve ever had”.
Scottish funnyman Iain, who is married to host Laura Whitmore, gave away a few titbits about the eighth series, which is expected to pull in around three million viewers.
He said: “I know it’s got a fire pit because I talked about that in the trailer. And I imagine if there’s more working out space it’ll be the sexiest series we’ve ever had.”