Just call...

Comedian Jimmy Carr spoke on Desert Island Discs about the impact of the furore over the much publicised celebrity tax avoidance schemes, including very openly about his own. Although the schemes were legal, he held his hands up, acknowledged his decision was ‘a terrible error’, and fully repaid all tax. It was a tough time for Carr as he was pilloried from all sides, including PM David Cameron breaking from the G20 talks to describe the schemes as ‘morally unacceptable’, and specifically mentioning Carr. That’s what’s called ‘being in the spotlight’!
Carr said the whole incident taught him that “when you have a friend in trouble, call”, reflecting the support he’d received from friends who reached out to deflect some of the heat from the baying mob.

His comments serve as a useful reminder to ‘be there’ for people who are in difficulty, and to reflect whether we do that often enough? As we were all told growing up, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.”