Dame Joan Collins complains she can't make jokes due to 'political correctness'

(ITV)
(ITV)

Dame Joan Collins has complained that the world has gone PC mad by frowning upon jokes made about people’s nationality or appearance.

The actress was a guest on Good Morning Britain, where she found an ally in host Piers Morgan as she bemoaned the amount of political correctness in modern entertainment.

In a discussion about some radio stations banning the Christmas favourite Baby, It’s Cold Outside for seemingly dodgy lyrics about consent, Dame Joan lashed out at what she thought was out-of-control sensitivity.

The Dynasty star said: “What’s going to happen to seduction, is it not going to be allowed anymore? I mean, is someone going to have to ask permission to the parents before they can kiss a girl?

“It’s absolutely becoming out of control and seems to have happened in the last two years, it’s being exacerbated and becoming worse and worse.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside is one of the sweetest songs, really gentle and kind and funny, and how dare they?”

Host Susanna Reid asked her: “You’re signed up, aren’t you, to Piers Morgan’s ‘world gone nuts’?”

Dame Joan replied: “Oh yeah, yeah, the world’s gone nuts! We can’t joke about anything any more.”

However, quite a few viewers thought making jokes about Dame Joan’s appearance was fair game.

She continued: “That’s the thing, I grew up going to variety theatres because my father was an agent and put on shows, so I saw comedians of all ilks and all nationalities making jokes about other nationalities and using these outrageous metaphors for them.

“You can’t do that, you can’t say anything, you can’t say somebody has frizzy hair, you can’t say they’re short, the only thing you can do is make jokes about age.”

Asked whether she thought that ageist jokes would be a good thing, she added: “No, I think they’re not welcome at all, but that’s the thing people can still do, they can say ‘silly old git’.

“But try to say anything about anybody who’s a little bit overweight or not exactly very tall, and you get banned for life.”

Dame Joan also had some harsh words for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s official Christmas card, labelling it “like one of those things you get in a silver frame in Selfridges”.

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