Sara Pascoe offended at the Edinburgh Fringe this year with distasteful joke
The host of “The Great British Sewng Bee”, Sara Pascoe, has faced heavy criticism for her remarks about the five fatalities in the Titanic submarine tragedy: “It’s funny when billionaires die.”
The 42-year-old comedian posted a video clip on Instagram from her performance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last month. In the clip she pokes fun at those who tragically died during the 12,500ft descent to the famed shipwreck in the Atlantic this past June. light of the backlash from her followers, Pascoe seems to have taken down the video.
During her act, she unreservedly commented, “I did like it when those billionaires in the submarine died, I did like it when the submarine exploded and the billionaires drowned, I couldn’t help it. We don’t have to empathise with billionaires, they don’t empathise with us. They could solve all the world’s problems and they choose not to, so it’s funny, it’s funny when they die.”
Expanding on her point, she added, “What I want is the sea to get a taste for the super-rich, like a horror movie, and start coming out to get them one by one in little one man-sized tsunamis. Also, it was called the Titanic Experience – what did they expect, ‘not to drown?’ I’m obsessed with it, I went on the website to read about the description when you’re booking it, it says ‘Once in a lifetime’ – did they lie?”
The submarine joke angers social media users
The heart-breaking event led to the demise of British nationals Hamish Harding, 58, head of a private plane firm. Also Shahzada Dawood, 48, vice-chairman of a chemicals-to-energy group, and his young son, Suleman, 19. Tragically, French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, and Stockton Rush, 61, head of OceanGate, the company overseeing Titanic dives, also perished.
Pascoe regularly appears on the BBC’s QI and on Channel 4’s “8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown”. Before deleting the controversial Instagram post, fans took to the platform to express their dismay. One perturbed follower questioned, “Did you find it funny when you heard about the 19-year-old lad on board too?” Another voiced their disgust, saying, “I’m truly shocked and appalled at this clip. Real people died and families are grieving.”
Yet another chimed in, stating, “I appreciate edgy humour… we seem to be ‘cancelling’ a lot of it lately. But this? It feels too close to home, quite callous, and, as many have mentioned, Sara herself isn’t exactly struggling financially.”
Last year, Pascoe informed TV executives of an assault claim a fan made to her about a celebrity. The fan had approached Pascoe after seeing her and the accused celebrity on a show together.
Lastly, in her personal life, Pascoe tied the knot with Australian comedian and actor Steen Raskopoulos, 36, in 2020. The couple eagerly anticipates the arrival of their second child.