Ricky Gervais' joke is 'disgusting' - mum of Barton-le-Clay teen who received Make-a-Wish message from the comic hits out at Netflix Armageddon show

The mum whose son died of cancer has blasted Ricky Gervais' joke about terminally ill children - despite once receiving a heartfelt message from the comedian.

A clip from Gervais' new Netflix special “Armageddon” sparked backlash after he mocked children with terminal cancer calling them ‘baldy’ and referring to them as ‘r*tarded’.

The star was joking about making videos for dying children through the Make-a-Wish Foundation, saying: “Why didn’t you wish to get better?”.

Mum Louise Fox, 49, whose child received ones of these video clips from Gervais, has branded the joke “disgusting”. Her son, George, died aged 13 after a short battle with a glioblastoma brain tumour in April 2022.

The mum-of-three organised her for son to receive the special message from Gervais on his 13th birthday, shortly before he passed away.

Louise, a training manager for Avon cosmetics, from Barton-le-Clay, Bedfordshire, said: "George absolutely loved Ricky Gervais - he was his favourite comedian. He was so excited to receive that message and now it feels so tainted.

"I worried he didn't send many messages, and my son was one of the few - it's like he's mocking my dead son. I was so offended when I saw the clip - it honestly floored me.

"George wished more than anything, as did all of us, that he would get better. How anyone can find that funny is beyond me. Ricky needs to walk a day in our shoes even though I wouldn't wish it on anyone."

Louise said her family had planned to watch the Netflix special, which is due to be released on Christmas Day, in honour of her son, but is hoping people were join her in boycotting it.

"Christmas is hard enough, let alone knowing that will be aired,'' she said. “We're just going through the motions, and trying our best to get by.

"We had planned to watch it on Christmas Day for George but there's no way we'll be tuning in now. In a way, I'm glad I knew that was on it so I didn't get a shock on the day.

"He's reached new lows with his jokes. He does a lot for animal charities, and I think he needs to make this right and donate to some children's cancer charities. It's the least he can do after the upset and outrage he's caused."

In the video clip featuring the joke, Ricky Gervais – who is well known for making offensive jokes – goes on to say: “These are all jokes, right? I don't even use that word in real life, the R word. 'You just used it, Rick'. Yeah. In a joke. That's not real life, is it? I'm playing a role."

In October, Louise was one of a team of ‘Angel Mums’ who jumped out of a plane in memory of their young children, who died from brain tumours.

So far they have raised more than £72,000. You can visit their JustGiving site if you would like to make a donation.