‘Jimmy Carr Destroys Art’ enrages Channel 4 viewers: “What kind of moronic mind commissioned this?”

26 October, 2022

Channel 4 viewers have reacted angrily to a new Jimmy Carr show, in which controversial pieces of art were destroyed in front of a live studio audience.

Titled Jimmy Carr Destroys Art, the show aimed to spark conversations and debate about whether society should separate art from the artist, as well as tackling the concept of cancel culture.

Some of the artworks on display included pieces from Adolf Hitler and convicted pedophile Rolf Harris. Marcus Harvey’s large painting of notorious child murderer Myra Hindley was also featured.

After discussing each piece of art and the atrocities committed by their respective artists, audiences members were then asked to vote for which piece they wanted to be destroyed.

Over the course of the show, the artworks were destroyed by a flamethrower, shredder, paintball pellets and being dropped from a great height.

However, viewers soon took to social media to voice their anger at the show, with many claiming that historical pieces of art should never be destroyed under any circumstance.

One viewer wrote: “In Channel 4’s own words, this programme is just a social ‘experiment’ made to stir conversation and controversy – this is exactly why art should not be destroyed, how else can we have this discussion?”

“So #JimmyCarrDestroysArt destroyed a painting by Hitler,” added another. “That painting can no longer be used to tell stories about how normal people can go on to do horrendous things. Totally pointless destruction. If you want to keep it off the market, give it to a museum.”

“I’ve seen some crappy art shows in my time – but Jimmy Carr Destroys Art really is the dregs,” wrote art critic and journalist Waldemar Januszczak. “What kind of moronic mind commissioned this? The sheer obviousness of its desire to stir controversy is what’s really offensive here. Pathetic!”

Another viewer also noted: “Two pieces of controversial art are shown to an audience for them to decide which one to destroy. The failing premise of this Ch4 show is that there’s no room to argue to destroy neither. It fuels the notion of ‘cancel culture’ rather than questions it.”

Earlier this year, Carr received heavy criticism over a holocaust joke that featured in his Netflix special, His Dark Materials.

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