Who is comedian Andrew Lawrence?
ANDREW Lawrence is a British stand up comedian, who has appeared on several TV and radio programmes. The comic, who was once considered an up and coming star, has faced backlash following a string of racist "jokes" about Englands football stars. Surrey-born Lawrence rose to comedy fame in 2003 after finishing runner-up in the Edinburgh Fringe's So You Think You're Funny competition. He followed-up by scooping top prize in the 2004 BBC New Act of the Year Competition. Lawrence has written and performed four series for BBC Radio 4, including the 2015 sitcom There Is No Escape. He has also appeared on several TV and radio programmes, including Live At The Apollo in 2011, BBC Ones Michael McIntyres Comedy Roadshow in 2010, and Channel 4s Stand Up For The Week. In 2014, he raised eyebrows with a controversial Facebook rant attacking comedians who made "cheap gags" about Ukip and called immigration an unmitigated disaster. It came as he also turned on Mock The Week, which he described as a liberal back-slapping panel, according to a report in Chortle. Following a number of alleged slews, he later hit back at those describing him as a right-wing comedian, saying he didn't subscribe to any political ideology. But he said he was critical of left-wing hysteria on the internet, and the left-wing establishment in comedy. The comedian has tended to keep his personal life private. It is not known whether he is married or dating. In the aftermath of Englands heart-breaking penalty shootout defeat to Italy, comedian Lawrence made a series of controversial posts on Twitter which he claimed were "jokes". Folloing extra time, forwards Marcus Rashford, 23, Jadon Sancho, 21, and Bukayo Saka, 19, stepped up and missed their spot kicks. Lawrence posted ''Equality, diversity, shit penalties.  He followed up with: "All I'm saying is, the white guys scored" - in reference to captain Harry Kane, 27, and Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire, 28, who both netted their kicks. After receiving a backlash for the comments, he then doubled-down, adding: "I can see that this has offended a lot of people, and I'm sorry that black guys are bad at penalties." Lawrence later took a swipe at Rashford's campaigning to encourage the Government to continue giving out free school meal vouchers during the pandemic. The 22-year-old Manchester United striker was awarded an MBE in October 2020 for his efforts. But Lawrence wrote: "I'd rather he practised his penalties and the kids go hungry." Following the posts, many venues quickly started pulling planned shows with the comedian as Lawrence's agents revealed they had cut ties with their client. Hanger Farm Arts Centre in Southampton was just one venue that pulled a gig with Lawrence, which was due to take place in January 2020. In a post on Twitter, the venue said: Following the racist comments made by comedian Andrew Lawrence on Twitter we made the decision to cancel his show. As part of a learning disability charity Minstead Trust, we work hard to promote inclusivity, provide safe spaces for everyone and have zero tolerance for racism.