Channel 4 denies it has ‘dumped’ Frankie Boyle

Could controversial comedian and tabloid hate figure Frankie Boyle finally have run out of luck? It has been reported that the foul-mouthed/edgy (take your pick) Scot has had his Tramadol Nights stand-up show on Channel 4 canned by new station boss Jay Hunt. And if that isn't enough, he is also reported to be refusing to attend the British Comedy Awards on Saturday after being told that he would not be allowed on stage.
 
However, the claims come courtesy of Boyle's two biggest detractors, the Daily Mirror and the Daily Mail, who have both embarked on crusades against the comic. Channel 4 paints a rather different picture of the situation.
 
The Mail describes Tramadol Nights as one of the most complained-about British TV shows of 2010 and says that Hunt, who took over as boss of the station this month, does not want it back on our screens.
 
But a spokeswoman for C4 told The First Post that it was not among the year's most complained-about shows (it was easily beaten by The X Factor and EastEnders, among others) , and said no decision had been made on whether Tramadol Nights would get a second series.
 
The Mirror, whose dislike of the comedian can be explained in part by the fact that he writes a column for the Sun, claimed that he had "thrown his toys out of the pram" after being told he would not be a presenter at the Comedy Awards. The reason for the ban on Boyle, the paper said, was the controversy over Tramadol Nights, which is being investigated by Ofcom thanks to a particularly risque/unpleasant (again, take your pick) joke about Katie Price and her disabled son.
 
But C4 told The First Post: "We have never confirmed any plans for Frankie to be involved in the Comedy Awards. We did invite Frankie, but unfortunately he is unable to attend the ceremony."
 
The absence of Boyle from Saturday's proceedings, which will be broadcast on C4, is unlikely to deprive the seething tabloids of a good story, however. That's because Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand are set to appear on live TV together for the first time since the 'Sachsgate' scandal, which saw Brand leave his job and Ross suspended from the BBC following a fearsome campaign by the Daily Mail in 2008. ·