Frankie Boyle
Frankie Boyle

Comedian Frankie Boyle is not a "racist comedian" ruled the High Court, after he sued the Daily Mirror newspaper for libel.

Scottish comedian Boyle was awarded £50,400 by Justice Eady in the case. Boyle said he would donate the money to charity.

He took to Twitter to react to his win.

Boyle was labelled "racist" by the Mirror in an article published in July 2011. Publisher Mirror Group Newspapers had defended the comment as "true" and "fair comment."

Boyle claimed his jokes were to be taken in the context of his provocative stage-act. Being accused as a racist "goes against everything I've tried to do in my work, to do in my life," he told the jury.

The court was shown footage of Boyle on satirical BBC TV show Mock The Week, in which he pretended to be somebody with racist opinions. Boyle claimed it was a persona adopted by him to highlight the issue, by mocking people with racist attitudes.

Boyle's abrasive humour has hit the headlines, previously.

British Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington complained the BBC let him off lightly after he compared her features to the reflection of somebody in a spoon, on the show.

On channel 4, Boyle's Tramadol Nights series was cancelled after a single series for its avalanche of provocative jokes about about sex and religion.

More than 500 people complained to the broadcaster about one gag by him which mocked the disabled son of former glamour-model Katie Price.