Comedian says person who threw bread at him over anti-Brexit jokes ‘needs help’

Nish Kumar was booed off stage at a charity gig over his political jokes. Picture: Supplied. - Credit: Archant

A comedian who had a bread roll thrown at him during a charity gig said the person responsible needs to attend an anger management course.

Comedian Nish Kumar was performing a stand-up set for free when some of the crowd took exception to his anti-Brexit political jokes.

A bread roll was thrown and The Mash Report presenter was booed off stage by audience members, who paid £149 to attend.

Recalling the December incident, he said hostile receptions were part of a comedian’s job – but the person who threw food should consider seeking help.

‘I’m entitled to express my opinion and they’re entitled to express their opinion about my opinion,’ he told the PA News Agency.

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‘I think the guy that chucked the bread roll probably needs to be on an anger management course because I just think anytime as an adult, you’re flinging bread at someone, you’ve taken leave of your senses.’

Kumar was performing at the Lord’s Taverners annual lunch, which raises money for the youth cricket and disability sports charity.

The bread-throwing incident attracted intense media interest and the comedian admits to being surprised by the level of coverage.

He said: ‘The thing that was odder was the level of media interest in it and the amount of news coverage it received was frankly baffling.’

Kumar added: ‘But certainly the actual booing itself, as mad as it sounds, I don’t really have a problem with it. I’m a comedian – worst things have happened to me.’

Satirical comedy show The Mash Report will return for a fourth series next month, but will not be filmed in front of a live studio audience amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Kumar, 34, said public health must come first.

He said: ‘My entire career has been building up to a TV show in front of a sparse studio audience… There’s a reason that we have studio audiences for these shows – it creates an atmosphere and gives the feeling in the room, but it’s a public health issue, isn’t it?

‘So the lowest priority for everyone is (going to) a TV record, so we’ll obviously just work around it as best we can.’

• The Mash Report series four airs on Friday April 3 at 10pm on BBC Two.