Sir Lenny Henry has been named as TalkTV’s “Plank of 12 months” after the comic known as for the UK to pay £19trillion in slavery reparations. Again in October, the 67-year-old funnyman sparked controversy by calling for each black British particular person to obtain slavery reparations from the British taxpayer. The comic makes use of a brand new e book he has co-written known as The Huge Payback to push for the UK to shell out trillions in compensation – concentrating on not simply Caribbean nations, however British residents too.
Writing within the e book, Sir Lenny acknowledged that “all black British individuals… want reparations for slavery”, including: “We personally deserve cash for the results of slavery.” Sir Lenny teamed up with TV govt and variety charity boss Marcus Ryder to put in writing the e book, which lays out their argument and historic rationale for the money handouts.
Now, three months on from the daring proposition, Kevin O’Sullivan has welcomed a bunch of company onto his night present as he topped his Plank of the 12 months. After a lot deliberation, the crew bestowed the unlucky honour on the beloved Comedian Reduction ambassador as they mirrored on the story from the present.
Creator Rafal Haydel-Mankoo started: “He [Lenny Henry] desires the taxpayer to pay £19trillion to each single black particular person on this nation, no matter whether or not or not they have been descendants of slaves. And doubtlessly, slave proudly owning descendants may even profit from this nice windfall.”
He identified: “£19trillion is greater than your entire GDP of China” because the studio burst into laughter, earlier than he added: “That is the funniest factor he is mentioned since 1983.”
It did not take lengthy earlier than viewers flocked to X – previously often called Twitter – to share their shock in his feedback on-line. One person agreed: “The funniest joke Lenny Henry has ever made up. Now, as an alternative of being a wannabe comic, he is a bona fide laughing inventory!”
One other echoed: “By no means heard him complain when he was incomes thousands and thousands from the UK public for his mediocre comedy profession,” as a 3rd chimed in with: “Henry ought to be again on stage for telling high jokes like that [cry-laughing emoji].”
It comes after September noticed Africa’s EU equal bounce on board a marketing campaign pressuring British taxpayers to pay reparations for the nation’s so-called “historic crimes”. The African Union demanded “significant reparations” from “former colonial powers” to deal with the exploitation of its individuals and land through the 1800s.
Regardless of mounting strain, British Prime Ministers have repeatedly refused calls for for reparations, with Sir Keir Starmer sustaining this stance.
