Comedian Ricky Gervais is set to debut his new tour, Legend, featuring some of his most provocative material to date. The 65-year-old, known for pushing boundaries in his comedy, previewed portions of the show during a performance in London on Monday. The tour will begin in the United Kingdom this September before expanding to Europe and the United States, with a Netflix streaming release to follow.

During the London gig, Gervais addressed a range of controversial topics, including sensitive subjects such as the late broadcaster Jimmy Savile’s abuse of disabled children, suicide, religious figures, and Adolf Hitler. He acknowledged that a particularly distasteful joke about Savile was “the worst thing I have ever said.”

In one segment, Gervais made a darkly humorous comparison involving Jesus, highlighting the crucifixion by quipping that Jesus “made crucifixion fashionable” and expressing a tongue-in-cheek wish to “be found like that.”

The comedian also spoke candidly about internet trolls, suggesting that, based on their online profiles, he believed some were on the verge of taking their own lives and that he could influence them in that direction. He stated, “I look at their profiles and think, ‘I could probably get them to commit suicide… they’re going to do it soon anyway, let me be a part of it.’”

Gervais then touched on Adolf Hitler’s early actions before the Holocaust, noting that Hitler had contributed ideas such as the creation of the Volkswagen Beetle and improvements to the transportation system. While clarifying he was not defending Hitler, Gervais characterized his early work as “good stuff.” When audience reaction turned notably subdued, he reminded the crowd of his previous role as the creator and star of The Office, implicitly appealing to his comedic reputation to contextualize his material.

Legend is anticipated to stir further debate as Gervais continues to challenge the limits of comedic commentary. The tour’s progression through multiple regions and its subsequent Netflix release aim to reach a broad global audience.