24 February 2023 , 18:31
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Ricky Gervais teased that he's been "pondering" whether his comedy material will be amended after his death, amid the debate over planned changes to Roald Dahl 's books.
It was reported recently that new editions of children's books written by the late author are being edited to remove language that may be deemed offensive or inappropriate.
The changes - understood to be the result of a review into such books - are said to affect references to weight, mental health, violence, gender, and race. The word "fat," for example, has reportedly been removed from all of Roald's books.
It prompted criticism and publisher Penguin Random House UK has since announced that it will now release unedited 'classic' versions of some books alongside the edited ones.
Ricky Gervais teased that he was 'pondering' whether his comedy material will be amended in the future (Dave Benett/Getty Images)Ricky, 61, seemed to wade into the discussion this afternoon, amid the update from the publisher. The comedian took to Twitter to comment about amending people's work – slamming 'fragile' people.
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He shared a black and white photo of himself in an auditorium, with him looking off into the distance. He teased that it represented him thinking about his work being edited in the future.
Alongside it, he tweeted: "This is me pondering whether they'll change any of the words I've used in my work after I'm dead, to spare those who are fragile and easily offended."
Comedian Ricky gave examples of words that could be censored, adding: "Words like 'fat' and 'ugly'. And 'c***' and 'f**k'. And 'fat, ugly, greedy, pathetic little stupid f**king c***'. Stuff like that."
He took to social media earlier over it (rickygervais/Twitter)One person reacted by saying that his work isn't aimed at young audiences though. They suggested that it can be difficult to explain "hurtful words" in books to children.
The comedian responded by explaining that his tweet had been a joke and seemingly agreed with the person. He wrote in his reply to them: "Yeah I know [...]. It was a joke."
It comes amid Puffin UK - a children's imprint of Penguin - announcing today that it will keep Roald's classic texts in print with a new collection. The books will "include archive material relevant to each of the stories."
The Roald Dahl Classic Collection will be published under the Penguin logo. It will sit alongside the edited Puffin Roald Dahl books, which are aimed at younger readers.
It comes amid the discussion of changes to children's books by later author Roald Dahl (Getty Images)The imprint has explained that by having two versions of the late author's books available, readers will "be free to choose which version of Dahl's stories they prefer".
Francesca Dow, MD of Penguin Random House Children's said: "We've listened to the debate over the past week which has reaffirmed the extraordinary power of [Roald's] books and the very real questions around how stories from another era can be kept relevant for each new generation.
"As a children's publisher, our role is to share the magic of stories with children with the greatest thought and care. [Roald's] fantastic books are often the first stories young children will read independently, and taking care for the imaginations and fast-developing minds of young readers is both a privilege and a responsibility.
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"We also recognise the importance of keeping [Roald's] classic texts in print. By making both Puffin and Penguin versions available, we are offering readers the choice to decide how they experience [Roald's] magical, marvellous stories."