The 36-year-old from Essex - who is married to American pop singer Katy Perry - is noted for his eccentricity but not for the first time overstepped the mark during a gig at the Pleasance Theatre in Islington on September 6.

"I don't give a f**k about the Olympics," Brand said to the audience.

"It's boring Blue Peter sport and a waste of taxpayers' money.

"At least the Paralympics have some kind of novelty value or something."

The joke has since been widely criticised by a number of people, including Beijing 2008 double Paralympic wheelchair racing champion David Weir.

"Calling the sport a novelty is offensive," said Weir, who is also the reigning triple world champion in the sport.

"It's not like I get up, do one marathon and then go to bed for the rest of the year.

"I train every day – I am no different to Paula Radcliffe.

"Brand obviously hasn't met any Paralympians.

"If he did he certainly wouldn't call any of us a novelty."

Chris Holmes, the visually impaired Director of Paralympic Integration for the London 2012 Organising Committee, has also criticised the comments.

"It's important to enable every disabled person, particularly the young, to access sport as easily as their able-bodied counterparts," said Holmes, who won nine Paralympic gold medals in the sport of swimming.

"The Games are still in their youth phase, but have moved on and are no longer seen as a Cinderella event."

International Para Dressage Rider Natasha Baker added: "We've worked harder than anyone to get here.

"We've suffered life-threatening ­illnesses.

"It's both patronising and upsetting for Russell Brand to describe us as a ­novelty."

Brands comments are particularly unfortunate as the came less than 48 hours before International Paralympic Day in Trafalgar Square on September 8 which saw a hugely successful demonstration of Paralympic sport take place at the iconic location.

Brand himself though, is no stranger to controversy.

He was fired from MTV after coming to work dressed as terrorist Osama bin Laden the day after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York and for bringing his drug dealer to the MTV studios.

Brand was also criticised when for the infamous BBC Radio 2 prank telephone calls he made to actor Andrew Sachs in 2008 while co-hosting The Russell Brand Show with presenter Jonathan Ross.

The call led to Brand resigning from the BBC and major policy changes at the organisation.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]