The current Manx Bard, Bradley Chambers, has expressed his concerns regarding this week’s appearance of Katie Hopkins in the Isle of Man as part of her stand-up comedy tour.

Mr Chambers has formally written to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture (DESC), the Isle of Man Arts Council, and Sarah Wilson-White, Head of Culture and Arts, about Thursday evening’s performance at the Gaiety Theatre.

He said: ‘All bear responsibility for this decision and should rightly be held accountable for it.’

The letter argues that the decision to host Ms Hopkins is inconsistent with the values of the Department of Education, Sport and Culture, the Isle of Man Arts Council and the theatre itself.

It acknowledges that she is free to appear at private venues but contends that the island's publicly owned cultural venue has a responsibility to uphold principles of inclusion, respect and community wellbeing.

The letter highlights Hopkins's long history of inflammatory remarks, discriminatory rhetoric, legal actions, associations with controversial figures and cancelled appearances at other venues, arguing that these demonstrate a pattern of behaviour fundamentally at odds with the organisations' stated values.

It concludes by questioning why the event has been approved and asks those responsible to explain how the decision aligns with their commitments to inclusivity, respect and serving the wider Isle of Man community.

Media Isle of Man reached out to all three bodies: Bradley himself, DESC and the Isle of Man Arts Council.

Both the Department for Education, Sport and Culture and the Arts Council provided an identical statement.

It read: ‘The Villa Marina and Gaiety Theatre operate as public venues.

‘The associated hire arrangements permit individuals, promoters and organisations to book the facilities, subject to suitable availability and provided that the venue’s terms and conditions, including any applicable legal obligations and health and safety requirements, can be met to the satisfaction of the department.

‘The department considered a request to hire the Gaiety for a stand-up comedy performance by Katie Hopkins to take place in July 2026. Decisions relating to venue bookings are made in accordance with the relevant booking procedures and with due regard to legal, operational and health and safety considerations.

‘The decision to proceed with the booking was made neither by the Isle of Man Arts Council nor directly by the VillaGaiety team.

‘The department does not endorse, promote or otherwise adopt the views or opinions of any individual, promoter, performer, organisation or group hiring its venues.

‘The use of a department-operated venue should not be construed as indicating support for, or agreement with, the views expressed by those associated with an event.

‘As public venues, the Villa Marina and Gaiety Theatre may host a range of events and perspectives, and applications for hire must be considered fairly, consistently and in accordance with the relevant booking procedures, legal and operational requirements.’

Mr Chambers added: ‘I think by letting Katie Hopkins come here and perform at the Villa Gaiety, the island is cheapening itself. It is letting itself down.

‘It is pandering to the very worst instincts of division and cruelty. It is pursuing the lowest common denominator, and it is my sincerely held belief that the Isle of Man is better than this. It can be better and it should be better.’