Jimmy Carr heckled over taxes at live gig

Comedian Jimmy Carr was heckled on Friday at his first live show since news of his involvement in a tax-avoidance scheme emerged.

The funnyman hit the headlines earlier this week after it was reported he exploited a legal loophole to pay just one per cent income tax and he took to Twitter.com to apologise, writing, "I now realise I've made a terrible error of judgement."

Carr faced the public at his first stand-up set since the scandal broke, telling fans at Stockport Plaza in Manchester, he wanted to perform a normal routine despite his "busy week".

He said, "The thing I wanted to say right at the top of the gig was I've been in the papers all week. It obviously produces gags, that's my job. But how about I just do a show for you? What do you think?"

However, the 1,200-strong crowd refused to let him live down his shame - in response to a heckler who called Carr a "tax dodger", he admitted, "I've got to take that, I'm afraid. I've been dishing it out for years."

Another cried out, "You're a tax cheat," and when Carr asked one man in the audience what he did for a living, he replied, "I'm a tax inspector."

The comic quipped, "Well you're doing a fairly s**t job of it, aren't you?"