Stephen Fry has been accused of making racist and misogynistic jokes during a cricket dinner he was hosting at the MCC.
Fry, 65, is alleged to have implied women members of the club were absent because they were ‘sh*gging’. The TV presenter and author is also accused of having made a joke about Islamic terrorism.
An official complaint has been lodged with Guy Lavender, MCC chief executive, and a dinner attendee has called for the club to take disciplinary action against Fry over the ‘egregious’ comments.
However, other diners and the club in north-west London disputed the complaint, saying the misogynistic joke was misheard and the racist one was never made.
Stephen Fry has been accused of making racist and misogynistic jokes during a cricket dinner he was hosting at the MCC
The complaint was made by Marylebone Cricket Club member Chris Waterman, who claimed Fry said: ‘I had intended to say, “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen”, but there are no lady members present. I suppose they are off sh*gging.’
The actor and comedian, according to Mr Waterman, also referred to the Allahakbarries, an amateur cricket team founded by the Peter Pan author JM Barrie and joked that ‘the term “Allahu Akbar”, when used today, is usually followed by a loud bang’.
MCC chief executive Guy Lavender said Mr Waterman’s account was ‘factually incorrect’.
‘The dinner in question was enjoyed by those that attended and we have not received any other complaint from attendees in this regard,’ Mr Lavender told The Times.
Other diners allege that Fry’s remark was misheard, claiming he actually said: ‘I had intended to say “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen” but there are no lady members present. Now we can talk about sh*gging.’
They claim Fry, who is club president, was intending to mock the ‘under representation of women’ at the dinner. The attendees also allege they ‘did not hear’ the joke about Muslims.
Fry has refused to apologise despite the Mr Waterman’s call for him to face disciplinary action.
Fry, president of the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club), was present at a prestigious dinner at Lord’s cricket ground
Mr Waterman, 75, and a member of the MCC for 25 years, lodged his complaint the day after the dinner.
Saturday night he told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The MCC is male, pale, frail and stale. I have been trying to reform it for eight years.’
His complaint says: ‘After the meal, the president called all the serving staff back into the room to thank them.
‘I interrupted and asked him if he would apologise for his earlier comments about women, and he said, “No, I was referring to women members” and continued speaking.’
Mr Waterman says in his complaint of the Allahu Akbar comment: ‘I am unsure whether there were any Muslims in the room, but even if there were not, this is not an acceptable “joke” in 2023.’
The education policy adviser also alleged that while no women were present at the dinner, female catering staff were.
Mr Lavender on Saturday acknowledged that the complaint had been received.
Since becoming the president last year, Fry has attempted to modernise the MCC, which owns Lord’s and has global influence on the game of cricket.
He has been accused by some members of being too woke in his approach.
Fry had planned to axe the Eton and Harrow and Varsity matches, but the decision was reversed after a members staged a ‘revolt,’ according to The Times.
Waterman has also been a ‘divisive figure’ within the club. He made bids for committee positions but when he failed to get them, blamed ‘chumocracy’.
Fry is also not the first MCC official to be criticised over jokes made during an event. Chariman Bruce Carnegie-Brown was disciplined following the annual meeting last summer after making a joke during a ‘long break’ about members ‘taking an age to empty their colostomy bags’.
