Jimmy Carr has said comedy should be taught in schools, arguing that being funny is a skill that can be learned rather than an innate talent. The stand-up comedian and TV presenter, 54, said comedy should form part of drama, a subject he believes should be available in every school.
Comedy as part of drama education
Speaking on The High Performance podcast, Carr said: "I think comedy should be taught in schools. I think, well, drama more generally, but, you know, comedy specifically as part of that, because I think a lot of people would be drawn to it. I think it is a teachable skill."
Carr rejected the idea that people are either "naturally funny" or not, and suggested comedy courses could help create future stand-up stars. For children, he believes drama would encourage greater creativity in school.
Drama Matters campaign
He added: "The idea that we're not teaching drama in schools is ridiculous. There's a organisation I'm involved with tangentially called Drama Matters, where it's these like 6,000 drama teachers in the UK going, we should be teaching drama in every single school. Drama Teachers are creative people. They want to be able to excite the children and teach them what they wanna learn."
Views on teenage drinking
In the same interview, Carr also said he would allow 16-year-olds to legally drink alcohol in pubs, but only if they entered in groups and behaved responsibly. He argued that going in a group would make them act more responsibly.
Carr explained: "I think 16-year-olds should be allowed to drink because this may come as a shock, 16-year-olds drink anyway. So I'm just living in the f***ing real world. I just don't want them to drink in a park. I think 16 year olds should be allowed to drink in pubs, but four of them, you can't go in on your own. So 16 to 18 you've gotta go in, you've gotta find three friends and going and check yourself. Actually it's fine to have, I dunno, beer and wine when you're 16. Fine. You gotta learn how to integrate into society and be part of a community. And that strikes me as like, it's not a crazy idea."
The full interview with Jimmy Carr speaking to Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes is on The High Performance podcast, available from 6pm on Spotify and YouTube.
