Saudi comedy festival: Inside the controversial Riyadh event starring comedians Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, Jack Whitehall and Jimmy Carr

A-listers including Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr and Jack Whitehall have faced a backlash over the event.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListTo the Ends of The Earth EarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveThey're making sex jokes in Saudi: Inside the controversial comedy festival2 days agoShareSaveNoor NanjiCulture reporterShareSaveGetty ImagesDave Chappelle is one of the A-listers performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival"There were sex jokes, and wife jokes. It's really unusual to see this kind of comedy here in Saudi Arabia."

That's how one ex-pat summed up the performances she's seen, at the first ever Riyadh Comedy Festival.

"The response was amazing, I've never seen such enthusiasm," she said, after sets by American stars Dave Chappelle and Bill Burr.

The woman - whom we're calling Sara - said the comedians avoided discussing Saudi Arabia's controversial human rights record. But that didn't particularly bother her.

"People here don't care about those topics," she said. "If they did, they wouldn't live here."