Ricky Gervais' new Netflix special SuperNature has been accused of humiliating trans people.
The 60-year-old from Reading takes aim at "cancel culture" and "woke comedy" and doesn't pull any punches.
He kicks off the show by telling his audience it isn't really a show, but is "basically a bloke talking" - using the opportunity to try and fail to recall any "female comedians."
He quickly points out that he doesn't harbour any sexist attitudes and that the show will be laden with irony.
Ricky Gervais during filming of the Graham Norton Show at The London Studios.
Isabel Infantes
"That was irony", he said.
"There's going to be a bit of that throughout the show - see if you can spot it."
Perhaps aware of the social climate, Gervais feels it necessary to unpick what he means by irony.
"That's when I say something I don't really mean for comic effect", he says.
He goes on: "And you as the audience laugh at the wrong thing, because you know what the right thing is.
"It's a way of satirising attitudes."
The audience, certainly onboard with Gervais' punchy style of stand-up, ate up his ironic mocking of transphobic attitudes.
However he still felt it necessary to declare for those took offence, of which there seemed to be none in the audience, that in "in real life" he supports "trans rights."
Ricky Gervais takes selfies with fans.
Ian West
But a review in the Independent did not see the funny side.
Giving it two stars out of five, it read: "As is all too frequent these days, the longest riff is reserved for the humiliation of trans people."
Gervais, ever the professional, is aware of the reaction he will get whilst delivering the material.
"This is so childish and misinformed, it hurts", Gervais giggles, seeming to revel in the outrage he will cause in some circles.
Gervais' work has never been shy of causing a stir and upsetting some. It seems to have railed against cancel culture before it was commonplace.
The show is available on Netflix today.
