What the critics of the Riyadh comedy festival may have missed (Letters, 13 October) is the fact that performing comedy or any live event in Saudi Arabia was illegal until recently. Performers and organisers would run the very real risk of imprisonment by the authorities. Now those same authorities are paying comedians to come over.

I’m of the view that allowing comedians now, after banning them before, is progress. I could also make a robust argument that opposing this festival is unsupportive of progress. However, nuance is the hallmark of a mature approach to discourse, and while the festival could easily be seen as cosmetic, it was also a huge development.

Any kind of opening up is welcome and needs supporting. To deny Saudi audiences this chance is ill-informed and cloaked in the language of self-righteousness and indignation.

For further exploration of this endlessly complex subject, I would recommend a 22-minute response on YouTube by Trevor Noah, the South African comedian and former host of The Daily Show on US TV.
Omid Djalili
Comedian and actor