{"id":100494,"date":"2025-10-03T04:46:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T04:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/100494\/"},"modified":"2025-10-03T04:46:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T04:46:10","slug":"eden-confidential-paul-merton-scorns-carr-over-saudi-comedy-cash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/100494\/","title":{"rendered":"EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Paul Merton scorns Carr over Saudi comedy cash"},"content":{"rendered":"

Billed as the biggest event of its kind, Saudi Arabia<\/a>\u2019s inaugural Riyadh Comedy Festival boasts Jimmy Carr<\/a> and Jack Whitehall<\/a> in its line-up, as well as US funnymen Dave Chappelle<\/a> and Bill Burr.<\/p>\n

But for one of this country\u2019s best-known comics, the festival in the Saudi capital is no laughing matter.<\/p>\n

When I ask Paul Merton<\/a> if he would consider performing at Riyadh, if invited, he tells me bluntly: \u2018No, I wouldn\u2019t.\u2019<\/p>\n

Speaking at the gala night for Ghost Stories at the Peacock Theatre in London\u2019, Merton, 68, explains: \u2018It\u2019s because of human rights \u2013 that\u2019s it.\u2019<\/p>\n

Notorious for its brutal repression of political dissidents and religious minorities, Saudi Arabia has become synonymous with human rights abuses.<\/p>\n

US intelligence agencies concluded in 2021 that the kingdom\u2019s Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, approved the 2018 violent murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Riyadh\u2019s General Entertainment Authority, which co-produces the festival, is chaired by royal adviser Turki al-Sheikh, who\u2019s accused of detaining those who criticise him on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Of comedians performing at the festival despite all this, Merton scoffs: \u2018Well, people obviously need the money, don\u2019t they?\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Of <\/p>\n

Of comedians performing at the Saudia Arabian comedy festival, Merton scoffs: \u2018Well, people obviously need the money, don\u2019t they?\u2019<\/p>\n

Jimmy Carr was condemned by David Cameron in 2012 for his \u2018morally wrong\u2019 use of a tax avoidance scheme.<\/p>\n

It would be tricky for Merton to take to the stage in Riyadh, given his previous positions on another Gulf state with a questionable human rights record.<\/p>\n

On a Have I Got News for You episode guest-hosted by Gary Neville, Merton teased the ex-footballer for accepting a pundit gig at a Qatari broadcaster during the 2022 World Cup, sneering: \u2018Murderous nations put up sporting events to clean up their image \u2013 like the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany. If that hadn\u2019t happened, we might have had a Second World War.\u2019<\/p>\n

Prince Harry and Meghan, who set up a TV production company, will be interested to learn King Charles is dabbling in the industry. He has launched a costume-making programme at Dumfries House, with some big players on board. \u2018The course will include hands-on experience working on productions with Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video, \u2019 the blurb promises.<\/p>\n

Eugenie’s cosy nights in PJs with Grandma<\/p>\n

We remember Queen Elizabeth with her brightly coloured outfits. Her granddaughter Princess Eugenie recalls a very different image.<\/p>\n

Make-up artist Bobbi Brown writes in her memoirs, Still Bobbi: \u2018I had tea with Princess Eugenie. She said, \u201cWhen Grandma is in the palace, it\u2019s more formal, and I schedule an appointment and always dress up, but when we\u2019re in our country house, we just wear our pyjamas and watch the telly.<\/p>\n

\u2018She might be Queen Elizabeth, but when you\u2019re across from her at the breakfast table in the country house, she\u2019s just Grandma.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n

Piers Adam, who was best man when his pal Guy Ritchie married Madonna, relaunched 151 nightclub as The Rex Rooms earlier this year to bring some glamour back to an increasingly corporate Chelsea. And he has no doubts about the secret to the success of his former club Mahiki, which was a popular haunt of Princes William and Harry. \u2018Tatler meets The Sun,\u2019 he says. \u2018Every posh boy wants to snog an Essex girl, and every Essex girl wants to snog a posh boy.\u2019 Speaking to Tatler magazine, he adds: \u2018It\u2019s like a Venn diagram: the coming together of two worlds.\u2019<\/p>\n

Topless Emily’s tears at a pointed comment \"Actress <\/p>\n

Actress Emily Beecham, currently playing Edith in King & Conqueror<\/p>\n

Currently playing Edith opposite her old friend James Norton in the BBC1 historical drama King & Conquerer, Emily Beecham says not all co-stars are as kind as him in bedroom scenes.<\/p>\n

\u2018He\u2019s so easy to do those scenes with because he\u2019s really good at connecting with people,\u2019 the actress says of Norton, 40. \u2018Sometimes people are not as mature. I did have a naked sex scene with somebody and I was topless,\u2019 Emily, 41, adds. They were going \u201cRolling!\u201d and he went, \u201cUgh, your nose is so pointy.\u201d And then \u201cAction!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018In my head, I was, like, \u201cI can\u2019t believe he just said that to me.\u201d It was such an odd thing to say when I was topless in a room full of men. Afterwards I had to go and have a little cry just to kind of let it out.\u2019<\/p>\n

Heidi Klum reveals her fall season look \"Heidi \"But <\/p>\n

German-born model Heidi Klum took a tumble outside the From Paris With Love party hosted by the Karl Lagerfeld label<\/p>\n

The world is a catwalk for Heidi Klum, but her dedication to the cameras can be dangerous.<\/p>\n

The German-born model and television personality waved to photographers as she left the From Paris With Love party hosted by the Karl Lagerfeld label in the French capital.<\/p>\n

However, as the 52-year-old hit the kerb in her \u00a3242 Debutante 4in strap-heeled sandals by Lagerfeld, she tripped up, almost falling over.<\/p>\n

Heidi, who was wearing a black strapless jumpsuit, has, however, suffered worse knocks in the past, once admitting that \u2018falling down the stairs and hitting my head is my earliest memory\u2019. She added: \u2018I\u2019ve been incredibly clumsy ever since.\u2019<\/p>\n

Inverdale on the ugly realities of rugby<\/p>\n

SPORTS presenter John Inverdale fears that England\u2019s triumph at the women\u2019s Rugby World Cup won\u2019t encourage enough girls to take up the game.<\/p>\n

\u2018The reality is that if young girls are turning up at their local rugby club over the next few weeks, the facilities probably aren\u2019t very good,\u2019 he tells me at the launch of grassroots sport financial app Cluberly at The Oval.<\/p>\n

\u2018I was at Twickenham on Saturday. I would imagine there were 5,000 to 10,000 young girls, aged between ten and 14, most of them had never been to Twickenham before.<\/p>\n

\u2018It was a lovely day and it all looked great. But that\u2019s not what rugby really is.<\/p>\n

\u2018Rugby is going to your local club on a Sunday when it\u2019s raining and the facilities aren\u2019t so great, and they\u2019ll be thinking, \u201cYou know, I\u2019m not sure about this\u201d,\u2019 he adds. \u2018People expect better than what they are going to see in a lot of places.<\/p>\n

\u2018That\u2019s where I think the issue is.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Billed as the biggest event of its kind, Saudi Arabia\u2019s inaugural Riyadh Comedy Festival boasts Jimmy Carr and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":100495,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[118,18,117,19,17,438],"class_list":{"0":"post-100494","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-dailymail","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-tvshowbiz"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100494"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100494\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}