Comedian Jim Davidson says he plans to “set the record straight” on his controversial 40-year career with an autobiographical new stage show.
Celebrating four decades in show business, 40 Years On will cover the 62-year-old’s life from his breakthrough on talent show New Faces in 1976 through to winning Celebrity Big Brother in 2014.
Jim Davidson will have a new stage play that includes his CBB win in 2014 (Ian West/PA)
Written by and starring Jim, he has promised never-before-heard stories about the “highs, lows and controversies of a unique life spent in the public eye”.
He said: ”The piece is an honest and raw reflection of my life over the last 40 years, both in the spotlight and personally.
“Much of my life has been lived out with the nation watching, so what better way to set the record straight and hear the stories – but from my perspective and in my own words.”
Jim was awarded an OBE in 2001 for services to charity (Matthew Fearn/PA)
The five-times-married comic is best known to many for fronting prime-time family favourites The Generation Game and Big Break – but he has come under fire across his career for controversial jokes about women, rape, homosexuality and disability.
In 2003, he refused to go on stage at Plymouth Pavilions because he objected to wheelchair users in the front row. According to the venue’s staff, he asked for the users to be moved to the sides as his act would include offensive jokes about disabled people.
In 2007, he was forced to deny he was homophobic after a row with gay contestant Brian Dowling on reality show Hell’s Kitchen.
Jim with wife Michelle Cotton in 2014 (Jonathan Brady/PA)
Nearly 200 viewers complained about Jim’s use of the words “shirt-lifters” and “poofs”, but Ofcom concluded there was no breach of regulations.
A year before his time on Celebrity Big Brother, he was arrested at Heathrow airport by officers working for Operation Yewtree on accusations of historic sex abuse, but charges were dropped.
Jim was awarded an OBE in 2001 for his services to charity and has founded the British Forces Foundation and Care After Combat, both of which help British service veterans and their families.
40 Years On runs from October 27 to December 3. Tickets are on sale now.
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