Paul Merton has criticised the director of the Bristol Silents Slapstick Festival, claiming that he was told that his annual appearance at the event would no longer be required. The comedy star has opened the event with a special gala evening every year for the last five years, but he says director Chris Daniels doesn't think there's enough interest to justify carrying on.
In a letter posted on his website, Merton says: "I'm sorry that Chris Daniels doesn't share other people's faith in my continued ability to attract audiences. The continued loyalty of the Bristol audience was very special to me and was matched by my loyalty to them. At the end of every exceptional Gala evening, I've stood on the stage and promised to return with more delights the following year. So you could have knocked me down with a custard pie last August when Chris Daniels emailed my agent to say he was dropping my Gala Night because he believed that we would struggle to sell tickets!! This was presented to me as a fait accompli. No discussion, no debate. Your Gala Night isn't happening. I suppose I was 'sacked'".
Daniels, who leads a team of volunteers in running the event, protests that Merton's is a skewed version of what really happened, and says all they wanted to do was shake things up a bit. "To keep the festival fresh and attract new audiences", he wrote on the festival's website, "we suggested to Paul, through his agent, that we vary the format of the opening Gala for 2010 and offered him several other ideas and venues during the festival, in case the changes didn't suit him". They obviously didn't suit him. To read Daniels' statement in full, take a look here: www.slapstick.org.uk/statement.htm
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