For decades, the Cambridge Footlights has been the breeding ground for British comedy royalty, from Monty Python to Peep Show. But a 2018 incident at a student bar has reignited questions about diversity within the elite society.
On 11 February 2018, a comedy night for black and minority ethnic (BME) students at Robinson College was cancelled after complaints that a performer's jokes were 'racist to white people'. Hasan Al-Habib, a Muslim comedian from Birmingham, had joked about microaggressions, including being asked 'What's in the bag, you fucking terrorist?' The crowd, many drunk from a beer festival, talked over his set.
Organiser Sara Poursafar said the cancellation sent a clear message: 'White comfort is more important than BME voices.' The event was meant to provide a space for BME performers, but bar staff ended it early after customers said they wanted to dance.
Footlights, founded in 1883, has produced stars like Peter Cook, Emma Thompson, and Stephen Fry. Its alumni dominate British comedy, but critics argue its 'old-fashioned sketch comedy has a very white sensibility'. The society's silence on the incident was telling.
Phil Wang, a former Footlights president, calls membership a form of entry to the 'comedy mafia'. For Al-Habib, the club was his inspiration to study at Cambridge, but the night left him feeling unheard.
