Comedians can’t experiment because of ‘sensitivities’ of younger people, says Stephen Merchant

Comedians are no longer able to experiment in their work because of the “sensitivities” of younger people, Stephen Merchant has said.

Addressing how cancel culture has impacted his industry, he described comedians’ fear of offending people as a “straitjacket” that has suppressed creativity.

The 49-year-old said he noticed the change after recently returning to doing stand-up comedy gigs in pubs and other small venues.

“I’ve noticed it in standup, how you’re more cautious because you don’t want to spend weeks on Twitter trying to justify a joke you were just experimenting with. Because putting out the fires is exhausting,” he told the Observer Magazine.

Ricky Gervais, who created The Office with Merchant, has been outspoken for several years in condemning cancel culture, sparking outrage with jokes about the trans debate.