Paralympic jokes my job, says Boyle

Comic Frankie Boyle has defended his controversial comments about the Paralympics as "celebratory" and said he was just doing his "job".

He was criticised after joking that the Saudi Arabian team at the Games were "mainly thieves", referring to criminals being punished by having their hands removed for stealing.

In another message posted on Twitter during the opening ceremony, he said: "I'm going down to the blind football to shout that the referee's a deaf b******."

He told fans: "I'd say my Paralympic tweets are celebratory. I'll be joking about Paralympics same way I joked about the Olympics. That's my job yo."

He also said people should read the jokes and make their own mind up, adding they were "Celebratory, non discriminatory, pretty funny".

In 2009 Boyle was censured by the BBC Trust for comments about Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington, following her gold-winning success at Beijing the previous year.

His remarks, made during an edition of the Mock The Week TV programme, were ruled to be offensive but no further action was taken, which prompted her agent to complain about the "slap on the wrist" when Adlington had been humiliated.

Channel 4, which previously broadcast several of Boyle's shows including Tramadol Nights and The Boyle Variety Performance, distanced itself from the comic.

A spokesman for the Paralympics broadcaster said: "Frankie Boyle was tweeting from his personal account and not on behalf of Channel 4. He is not under contract and there are no shows planned with him."