jens stoltenberg was speaking as leaders of nato countries prepare to meet at a summit in madrid on tuesday. now on bbc news, it s hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i m stephen sackur. what i find funny, you might find offensive. comedy challenges taste and convention and it can rouse strong reaction, as we saw at this year s 0scars when a joke earned comedian chris rock a slap in the face from the actor will smith. my guest today has spent more than 25 years finding laughs in sometimes unlikely places. 0mid djalili was born in london to iranian parents. he has thrived as a cross culture comedic chameleon, but is it possible to be funny without being mean? 0mid djalili, welcome to hardtalk. stephen sackur, my friend, my fellow presenter in the business of show, man who is so unbelievably good looking and thin that he walks into snooker hall, they start chalking his head. i am so happy to be here, this is one of my favourite shows. well, if you carry on like that, this won t be a
in sometimes unlikely places, omid djalili was born in london to iranian parents. he has thrived as a cross culture comedic chameleon, but is it possible to be funny without being mean? omid djalili, welcome to hardtalk. stephen sackur, my friend, my fellow presenter in the business of show, man who is so unbelievably good looking and thin that he walks into snooker hall, they start chalking his head. i am so happy to be here, this is one of my favourite shows. well, if you carry on like that, this won t be an interview, it will be a monologue! let me ask you this, you have been doing comedy for almost 30 years, do you find the same stuff funny today as you did back then? what a tricky question! what a way to start. that is such a tricky question. look, at the end of the day, it is a big subject now because we saw the oscars and we saw will smith smack chris rock. can i just tell you, just to speak personally, i saw the video the day after, and i bleary eyed woke up on monday
But that is if your comedy is just about the laugh. i think there is a higher level of comedy where you use the comedy to make a point. so, that to me is childish. yeah, they are funny, and they can do it, and they are very funny guys. but there are loads of funny people out there. i know lots of people in comedy clubs in britain who are just as funny and can do that kind of thing, but there are lots of us who just choose not to do that kind of comedy. you re too nice, is that what you are telling me, you are too nice? it s not too nice, ijust don t see the point of it. so we can all snigger like children? it doesn t turn me on, as a comic. do you have red lines, then? what are things that you. actually, considering this notion of where lines should be in comedy and what offence is beyond acceptable for a comedian to rouse, what would your red lines be? that is a really good question because on the one hand, as far as free speech is concerned, there should be. no subject is off limits,
Is beyond acceptable for a comedian to rouse, what would your red lines be? that is a really good question because on the one hand, as far as free speech is concerned, there should be. no subject is off limits, and it is up to the comedian s intelligence to make that funny. but, for me, i have always found it very hard to get humour out of terrible human suffering. i remember getting into an argument with another comedian where on 9/1! there was a show at the comedy store and a phone went off in the audience, this is on the 11th of september 2001, and the comedian said, oh, my god, oh, no, that is not the 110th floor again. and it was making fun of people who were on the 110th floor who were roasting alive. and i remember thinking, that s not a very good joke. and the other comedian was saying, yeah, but he is trying to deal with the situation. and i just thought that is trying to make light of someone burning alive, so i personally, that is a little red line for me.
Of comedy where you use the comedy to make a point. so, that to me is childish. yeah, they are funny, and they can do it, and they are very funny guys. but there are loads of funny people out there. i know lots of people in comedy clubs in britain who are just as funny and can do that kind of thing, but there are lots of us who just choose not to do that kind of comedy. you re too nice, is that what you are telling me, you are too nice? it s not too nice, ijust don t see the point of it. so we can all snigger like children? it doesn t turn me on, as a comic. do you have red lines, then? what are things that you. actually, considering this notion of where lines should be in comedy and what offence is beyond acceptable for a comedian to rouse, what would your red lines be? that is a really good question because on the one hand, as far as free speech is concerned, there should be. no subject is off limits, and it is up to the comedian s intelligence to make that funny. but, for me, i have