The Liverpool comedian’s son, Paul Boardman, spoke to the ECHO about BOXPARK’s decision to drop the 88-year-old from the Liverpool Book Festival
Stan Boardman was scheduled to appear at the Liverpool Book Festival, but has been pulled from the bill by the venue(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Stan Boardman’s son said “it’s madness” after his dad was dropped from the Liverpool Book Festival. The 88-year-old comedian was advertised as part of the line-up for the upcoming festival, which is being held at BOXPARK Liverpool on Sunday, March 8.
The stand-up was booked to appear at the festival to talk about his autobiography, Stan Boardman: My Life Story, but has since been pulled from the event by the venue. An email seen by the ECHO cited “feedback from the public regarding past material that has been considered inappropriate or offensive” as the reason why Mr Boardman was dropped from the line-up. The comedian wrote his memoirs alongside his son, Paul Boardman, who said the decision has upset the family.
He told the ECHO: “We’ve written to them and asked, ‘How many emails? What was said and when was it sent? What was the context?’ We’d love to know that. Given the fact Stan has been used to promote the event throughout, that’s the very least we could ask for. Then we can defend it. We can say, ‘OK, who is the person? Does it justify the decision?'”
Mr Boardman was particularly confused by the turn of events, as he said his dad’s material and the changing attitudes towards comedy over the course of his career is a big talking point in the book. He added: “We don’t shy away from that at all in the book.
“Stan shows a lot of contrition regarding that saying he never would have thought he was hurting people and would never go out intentionally to hurt somebody’s feelings on stage. I think a lot of comics back then, a lot of people in the 70s, weren’t that educated about it.”
He added: “I was interested to know when I spoke to my dad about it when I interviewed him for the book. I said, ‘Look, how do you feel about some of the jokes?’ My dad wasn’t a Bernard Manning. He never used the n-word. He wasn’t like that.
“OK, he would do jokes about the Germans, but we all know now that he’s got a good reason to have a little bit of fun at the Germans. It’s never in a nasty way. He loves German people. He spent national service there.”
Mr Boardman also said his dad appeared at the inaugural event for the Liverpool Book Festival at the Invisible Wind Factory last year and retains the support of the event’s organiser, Justin Hopper. He claimed the 2025 edition went by without any issues and the decision to drop his dad for this year’s event has invited “unnecessary controversy”. He said: “It is inviting unnecessary controversy for Justin Hopper, who has put his blood, sweat and tears to try and get this event on its feet.
“He did a really good event last year. This year is bigger and better. He’s got Ricky Tomlinson attending and a whole host of other authors from around the area.
“It’s a great opportunity for everybody and I think it’s a fantastic thing for Liverpool.” He added: “Ultimately for us, we’re upset that it’s turned an event that is brilliant for Liverpool.”
Mr Boardman claimed the family received notification his dad was being dropped from the festival on February 18 and was officially taken off promotional materials a week later on February 25. Mr Boardman hopes the incident will be resolved and his dad can appear at the venue as previously billed.
He said: “Stan should be on stage because people have bought tickets to go and see him. Stan doesn’t let anybody down and doesn’t want to let anybody down.
“He would champion Liverpool people, would champion the authors and everybody else.” He added: “We’re not living in a fascist state, certainly not in Liverpool, because Liverpool is full of great people who’ve championed [the city] and Stan is one of them.”
A statement from the event’s organiser, Justin Hopper, shared with the ECHO, said: “The first Liverpool Book Festival last September was a huge success, with around 1,000 people in attendance. This next event at BOXPARK will be another incredible event with authors selling their books, artisan stalls, street food, live music, special guests, talks, a kids zone and more.
“I run this huge event by myself and it’s a lot of work. Obviously it’s disappointing to not have Stan at this one because he played a great role in the first event and we have a good relationship but unfortunately it’s out of my control.
“As with all large scale events, things come up that are out of your hands. The event will still be a great success though, as we have many fantastic special guests appearing and so much going on throughout the day.”
BOXPARK has been approached for comment.
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