COMEDIAN Kevin Bridges had to defend his joke in the middle of a show at The Mayflower last night, after a member of the audience criticised him for making fun of disabled people.

The Scottish funnyman had been talking about how the Government might sort out the problems of owing so much debt, suggesting they might force all disabled people to go to work.

The audience was in hysterics following the punchline, but around 30 minutes later an elderly man sitting in the circle shouted out that his brother was disabled, making it clear that the joke had offended him.

Taken aback, 28-year-old Bridges initially apologised, before admitting that he felt a bit awkward.

He explained that the joke was actually on the politicians, not disabled people, before asking the complainant if he was okay.

Someone shouted out that the man had left, after which Bridges asked the audience if they had understood the joke.

He received a huge round of applause before carrying on with the show.

At the end of the stand-up performance Bridges conducted a question and answer session with the audience, and was asked if he would be keeping the joke in future performances.

He said he would, before making a quip at the man who had complained, calling him egotistical, adding: "Some people think it's all about me, me, me."

He asked the audience to take away the positives from the show that night and received huge cheers as he said goodbye.

After the performance at the Southampton theatre people took to Twitter in support of the comedian.

@KevJones63 posted: "@kevinbridges86 Gr8nite, thnx for everything! I have Progressive MS & thought the #Scarecrow joke was hilarious."

@PhilWiseman1979 added: "Great show @kevinbridges86 Congrats on how you handled that old heckler at @mayflower."

The incident follows a widely publicised issue at a show in Derry/Londonderry's Millennium Forum in July, when Bridges was forced to walk off stage after a woman repeatedly shouted abuse at him.

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