Jimmy gave his take on it on this morning’s Capital Breakfast with Burnley’s Jordan North, Chris Stark and Sian Welby.
He said that compared to the 51-year-old Bolton comedian, he “likes a heckle” and people in his shows “get kicked out for a reason”.
But, he added, there’s a huge difference between shouting “random drunken nonsense” and “adding value”.
He said: “I think Peter Kay is a national treasure, he’s a wonderful, wonderful man, and he’s incredibly likeable.
“He had to get rid of some people who were getting in the way of the evening.
“His duty is to the 16,000 people who have booked a hotel, bought a ticket and are there at the arena to watch the show.
“We all know there’s a huge difference between shouting out something that’s disruptive and repetitive and annoying, and joining in and adding value.
Jimmy Carr (Image: Capital Radio)
“The people at my show are very lucky. The audience that come to see me know that when it’s heckling or joining in and asking questions.
“It’s not random, drunken nonsense. There’s a huge difference.”
When asked if he gets worried about backlash if he ejects a heckler he said: “When I kick people out, the difference between me and Peter Kay is I don’t care.”
Jordan North complimented the way he handles them, saying he “goes for the jugular”.
Jimmy responded: “I do like a heckle. People come to my tour show and there’s a lot of jokes in it.
“There’s a lot of, ‘Okay, I’ve written a show, this is it,’ and then I like to leave enough space so people can just join in and shout nonsense.
“I’m so used to it, it’s like, ‘Bring it!’ I’m not going to get insulted and it’s kind of fun.’
But, he said: “If people get kicked out, they get kicked out for a reason.”
Peter Kay (Image: Press Association Images/Press Association Images)
During Peter Kay’s February performance, two hecklers got ejected. One is reported to have repeatedly shouted “garlic bread” in reference to one of the comedian’s best-known catchphrases, while another was reported to have shouted “we love you”.
In a statement posted to Instagram following the incident, Peter said: “At the show on Saturday night, February 8, in Manchester, I had two hecklers disrupting from the very start.
“I did my best to address the situation and made light of it as any comedian would, but unfortunately their interruptions continued.
“I then tried to ignore them, hoping they’d settle down, but when the disruption persisted into the second half of the show, I asked the audience around them if they were being bothered by the noise.
“They all shouted ‘yes’ and when I asked for a show of hands at least 40 people raised theirs.
“At that point, I had no choice but to take action. The lady who was escorted out did bear a striking resemblance to Lisa Riley, though I don’t see how that’s an insult.
“This was only the second and third time I’ve had to ask someone to leave during my 114 shows over the past three years of this tour.
“As a comedian, you never want to eject anyone, but when repeated disruptions make it impossible to continue, it’s important to consider the experience of the rest of the audience, who’ve paid to see a show without interruption.”
You can listen to Capital Breakfast with Jordan North, Chris Stark and Sian Welby weekdays from 6am – 10am across the UK and on Global Player.
