Comedian Jim Davidson is renowned for his ability to shock and offend.
Since shooting to fame in the 1970s, it’s fair to say Jim – who is at the centre of a new documentary, The Cancellation of Jim Davidson, tonight (November 9) – has ruffled plenty of feathers.
But what happened between him and Ashley Banjo? Why did Jim give his wife a “shiner”? And what were his “really rude” comments that led to him getting axed from a TV show? Read on and we’ll tell you…
The comedian has ruffled plenty of feathers (Credit: SplashNews.com)
Jim Davidson: Operation Yewtree arrest
Back in 2013, Jim was arrested by police as part of Operation Yewtree, set up in 2012 in the wake of the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal.
He faced 11 allegations of sexual assault – which he vigorously denied. Jim ended up facing no further action – but he reportedly forked out £100k on legal bills.
I couldn’t work out why someone would say these things. I don’t think I’ll ever get an answer.
In August 2013, the Crown Prosecution Service ruled there was “insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction”.
Speaking about the ordeal in 2014, Jim told The Telegraph: “It frightened the life out of me.” He then added: “I was outraged by these things that were said. I couldn’t work out why someone would say these things. I don’t think I’ll ever get an answer.”
Jim Davidson gave his third wife ‘a shiner’
Jim has had a tumultuous love life. He has been married five times and has five children with three of his ex-wives.
However, during his relationship with his third ex-wife Alison Holloway, the pair often came to blows, with one row resulting in her getting a black eye.
“We’re like a couple of boxers. On the first occasion, I poked her in the eye by accident. I actually went for the mouth […],” he said in his autobiography, The Full Monty.
Jim then said: “The second time I gave her a shiner. I threw a bunch of keys which whacked her in the eye. Just for a giggle she kept blackening it up to make it look worse.”
In 2014, Jim explained more about the row and said it had all been an accident. He told The Telegraph: “I didn’t mean to do it. That’s why I admitted it, and now I’m accused of being a wife-beater.”
He added: “We were married for three months. I met her at pantomime and we were divorced by the summer. It’s a relationship that both of us regret.”
He was axed from Hell’s Kitchen (Credit: Shutterstock)
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