'Good luck against a powerful and malign foe'

Barry Humphries checks out

I’m not going to pay tribute to the comic genius of the late Barry Humphries because there are others doing a much better job of it already. I didn’t know him at all, except in the way we all knew him, through his appearances as Dame Edna and Sir Les Paterson on countless TV appearances that we all took for granted growing up, moments that are going viral all over again, because almost everything he said was funny.

Those who knew him well can expound on his friendship, wisdom, and poise. My acquaintance with him was about as fleeting as it was possible to get and yet I feel all those qualities manifested in the single email I received from him. A couple of years ago, Stella O’Malley and I wrote a letter defending JK Rowling from the death and rape threats sent to her by trans rights activists. I thought it would be an easy and safe way for comedians to stand up against the rising authoritarianism of the hysterical, misogynist Left. But hardly a single comedian of my acquaintance signed it.

Barry signed it, though. And he sent me this.

The way The Melbourne Comedy Festival treated him will forever be a stain on their reputation. Its organisers should apologize without delay to his family for their shameful conduct in removing his name from the event.

As for the rest of us, we can add ‘ally to women, friend to the persecuted’ to the list of whatever else needs to be said about him.

Rest in peace, Barry.