Comedian Jim Davidson has risked the wrath of people in Cromer after a Facebook rant following his performances at the town's pier last weekend.

Eastern Daily Press: Cromer Pier feature. The Pavilion Theatre.Picture: ANTONY KELLYCromer Pier feature. The Pavilion Theatre.Picture: ANTONY KELLY (Image: Archant Norfolk 2017)

It is the latest in a long series of controversies the TV star has been involved in over the years, including a well publicised spat with Norwich's Theatre Royal and a love/hate relationship with Great Yarmouth.

On this occasion Mr Davidson appeared at Cromer Pier on Friday and Saturday evenings.

The furious spat with bar staff at the pier is believed to have started after he claimed they banned him from taking a drink on stage.

He has since been slammed by fuming locals and staff after complaining about the gig, where he is believed to have been paid £15,000 for a show.

Eastern Daily Press: Cromer mayor John Frosdick said Jim Davidson had got it all wrong. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYCromer mayor John Frosdick said Jim Davidson had got it all wrong. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2017)

Davidson wrote on Facebook after the show: 'Well thats it. Gail force 8 on Cromer pier. Theatre freezing and a bad attitude barman. Do I need this? 'Welcome to hell.

'Bar woman wouldn't let me take my glass onstage. You sort of know when you are not wanted. Why do staff have agendas?'

He later added: 'Great little gig. Well meaning stage crew. Good audience ruined by bad attitude woman staff member.'

But Davidson was slammed for sexism on social media by Terri Gammon, who wrote: 'Did it make you feel big to speak to her the way you did?

'Manners cost nothing, 21st century women are just as equal to men, even if that equal is a disgusting sexist pig like you.'

Other locals then came forward to complain about the comedian's attitude - with one claiming he asked to speak to a male manager because 'women don't like me'.

The comedian apparently kicked off after the manager told him he could not take his drink on the stage so his first part of the show involved making fun of her and bar staff.

Christian Swift, 44, of Cromer, said the comedian arrived with a bad attitude, and added: 'He encouraged people in the audience to ask for their drinks at half-time to be served in glasses and was egging everybody to bring a glass back to the theatre.

'After half-time all the customers came out and started having a go at the bar staff because Jim Davidson had egged them on to do it.'

The comedian rose to eminence on the back of what would now be deemed unacceptable humour in the more-forgiving 1970s, and his cheeky chappy personality and unabashed patriotism made him a big-name entertainer during the 1980s.

His love/hate relationship with Yarmouth reached rock bottom in 2003, describing the town as 'full of overweight people in flip flops and fat children of all colours and no class'.

He declared he would never return to the town, where he used to own the Wellington Pier. But the ex-Big Break star has since returned for performances, including fundraisers in aid of the Caister lifeboat.

And in 2011 he said that he did not play at Norwich's Theatre Royal because theatre bosses had effectively banned him after claiming he was rude to staff when he appeared seven years before.

Mr Davidson was unavailable for comment.