Rowan Atkinson has hit back at 'cancel culture' and has insisted that comedians should be allowed to make jokes about 'absolutely anything' in a free society.
The Mr Bean star, 67, said the purpose of comedy was to 'have the potential to offend' and argued that humour is made to make someone look 'ridiculous'.
Rowan said he thinks people should be careful about putting restrictions about what comedians are allowed to make jokes about as he railed against cancel culture.
Free speech: Rowan Atkinson (pictured in October 2018) has hit back at 'cancel culture' and has insisted that comedians should be allowed to make jokes about 'absolutely anything'
He told the: seo ajansı 'It does seem to me that the job of comedy is to offend, or istanbul seo ajansı have the potential to offend, and it cannot be drained of that potential, www.google.by every joke has a victim.'
Rowan, who has been working in comedy for more than four decades, also addressed the suggestion that jokes should 'punch up' at those in power and not be directed down.
He added: 'There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up.
In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.'
Speaking about the role of social media, Rowan said that the platform takes jokes out of their original content in a bid to stir up anger and said we are still learning how to use technology.
Cancel culture: The Mr Bean star, 67, said the purpose of comedy was to 'have the potential to offend' and argued that humour is made to make someone look 'ridiculous'
It is not the first time that Rowan has spoken out against cancel culture as he has previously campaigned against laws which could limit free speech and offensive language.
And in January 2021, he said social media fills him with 'fear about the future' and that it has widened divisions in society and lowered tolerance.
He told the Radio Times: 'The problem we have online is that an algorithm decides what we want to see, which ends up creating a simplistic, binary view of society.
'It becomes a case of either you're with us or against us.
And if you're against us, you deserve to be 'cancelled'.
'It's important that we're exposed to a wide spectrum of opinion, but what we have now is the digital equivalent of the medieval mob roaming the streets looking for someone to burn.