Julian Clary's most shocking joke that almost cost him his career

Julian Clary is known for his quick wit, softly spoken voice, and inuendo-laden jokes. However, back in 1993 things went awry for the comedian when he appeared at the British Comedy Awards to present a prize and made a quip aimed squarely at then-Chancellor Norman Lamont.

Appearing on live television, Julian was introduced by Jonathan Ross and came on stage clad in a tuxedo on the ITV stage commenting that the leafy set was reminiscent of Hampstead Heath.

He then told the audience: "As a matter of fact I've just been fisting Norman Lamont - talk about a red box!"

The audience, including Lamont and his wife, responded with uproar, though laughter drowned out the punchline for home viewers. The Independent Television Commission later ruled the remark "wholly unacceptable" and LWT issued an on-air apology. Clary was dropped from a Christmas show on Radio Scotland, and tabloids called for him to be banned.

"It got blown out of all proportion," Clary told The Herald years later. "You're on for 15 seconds and you're expected to be funny... I thought it was slightly near the knuckle, but... I wouldn't have bothered really."

Clary doesn't regret the joke. Metro reported in 2019 that he "stands by" the line, describing it as "a very good joke" and even attributing its wince-inducing boldness to fate: "I like to think [it] was divine intervention... to clear my diary."

He later admitted in 2005 that medication influenced his on-stage audacity. "I was on valium in the day and Rohypnol at night. It makes you very uninhibited," he told the Hay Literary Festival. Online reaction remains split. On Reddit, one fan praised, "Julian Clary's fisting Norman Lamont joke had me in stitches... it stuffed his career for many years after, but oh, what a way to do it!"

Another added: "He is actually cross when people cite just that line because it misses the punchline 'talk about a red box'."

Critics at the time were less forgiving. The Sun called the remark "too obscene to be mentioned in a family newspaper," while The Star labelled it "hamfisted."

Despite the furore, Clary's career endured. While traditional TV roles became scarcer, he continued in cabaret, wrote novels, and later returned to television, notably finishing third on Strictly Come Dancing in 2005.

Today, Clary views the incident as part of his legacy. "I wouldn't really have imagined I'd be talking about it this many years after," he told The Herald. "I know when I die it'll be the first paragraph of the obituary."

He asserts that the joke reflected both the politics of the time and his brand of camp irreverence. In a 2019 Guardian interview, he said: "I always felt that if you'd outraged the Daily Mail then it was job done, really..."