Star Trek legend William Shatner came under fire after claiming that a “lovely” British seaside town was “laced with prostitution.”
The actor, who turns 92 today (Wednesday), has had a hugely successful career since his 1966 debut as Captain James T. Kirk and is loved by sci-fi fans across the globe.
But while he has a doting fan base, residents in the Devon town of Ilfracombe weren’t best pleased with Shatner when he insulted the town by accusing it of being a hub for prostitution.
READ MORE: Star Trek legend William Shatner, 91, confesses he ‘doesn’t have long left’ to live
The actor made the remarks during an appearance on BBC1’s Have I Got News For You back in 2012.
(Image: Redferns)
After mispronouncing Ilfracombe, fellow panelist Charlie Brooker joked that Shatner had made the Devon town’s name sound “deeply sexual”.
Shatner responding saying: “The place is laced with prostitution”.
But not everyone saw the funny side of his comments, which were met with a furious response from the town’s former mayor, Paul Crabb.
(Image: Getty Images/Westend61)
In an email to Shatner’s agents, Cabb said that the actor had “clearly” never been to the seaside town as he insisted “there is no prostitution in Ilfracombe” and even invited him to the town to see for himself how “lovely” it is.
He wrote: “As Captain James T Kirk, Mr Shatner has been to places where no man has gone before, however, the episode of Have I Got News For You clearly shows he has never been to Ilfracombe.
“If he came, we could show him that there is no prostitution in Ilfracombe and that it is a lovely coastal town with spectacular scenery and a close community.”
(Image: Getty Images for SXSW)
Shatner didn’t back down on his comments, responding in a tongue-in-cheek email saying that prostitution “commonly means sex for something of value”.
He said: “I would be hard-pressed to believe that sex was not being had in Ilfracombe for something of value, perhaps a lengthy marriage, children or a valuable career.”
But he did issue an apology at the end of the email, adding: “In any event, my apologies for having singled out Ilfracombe as a potential haven for prostitution. With you overseeing, I am sure that will not happen.”
Shatner’s apology wasn’t well-received by some social media users, with one Reddit user writing: “Is it just me, or is the apology just a veiled insult?”
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
But others thought there was no need for him to apologise, claiming his comments were true.
One person said: “It basically is laced with prostitution! I live in Braunton, about 15 minutes away and it’s known pretty widely as Ilfrascum.”
Another added: “It’s not like Ilfracombe didn’t already have a bad reputation, it’s known by the locals as Ilfrascum.”
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