Roy 'Chubby' Brown 'overwhelmed' by support in Sheffield after protest

The controversial comedian said he was left ‘overwhelmed and very emotional’ by the way many people in the city have got behind him since his planned performance at Sheffield City Hall next January was axed.

More than 36,000 people have now signed a petition calling for the gig to be reinstated, and supporters donned his signature checked suit and goggles as they chanted ‘we want Chubby’ at a protest on Friday, though only about 20 people turned out for the demonstration.

“I am overwhelmed and very emotional about the amount of support I have been given with Sheffield,” he said in a video shared on his Facebook page.

"Hayley and the Chubbettes, and everybody else who has been out there protesting and signing the petition – well over 36,000 now. I can’t tell you what that means to me. I didn’t know 36,000 people knew who I was so god bless you and thank you very much.

"And don’t forget, I’m not a racist, I’m not a sexist, I’m a jokist, I just tell jokes. That’s all I do, and I can’t explain more than that.”

Sheffield City Trust, which runs Sheffield City Hall, cancelled the comic’s scheduled show, saying ‘we don’t believe this show reflects Sheffield City Trust values’.

The comedian, whose real name is Royston Vasey, is known for his offensive material, including the use of racial slurs, but has previously performed many times in Sheffield.

Sheffield Council’s leader, Councillor Terry Fox, has said the authority ‘wholeheartedly’ supports the trust’s decision, and Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough MP Gill Furniss also welcomed the move, saying ‘there is no place for any hate-filled performance in our diverse and welcoming city’.

But Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, leader of the Liberal Democrats in Sheffield, has said that although he is no fan of the comedian the decision ‘smacks of the nanny state’.

Sheffield City Trust this week revealed that 300 tickets out of 2,373 available had already been bought before the show was cancelled, with refunds issued to all those ticket holders.