Jimmy Carr might not be a big name in the US but in England he’s somewhat of a television fixture; a frequent guest on both talk and quiz panel shows. He even hosts his own end-of-year specials and has been described as a “dark Bob Hope” by American comedian Marc Maron. In short, he’s very rich and very successful in England. Full disclosure: he’s also one of my favorite British comics.

Which is why it’s surprising many that a very large picture Jimmy Carr appears on the front page of The Times under the headline “The Tax Avoiders” – the article, which is due out tomorrow, alleges that Carr owes a whopping £3.3M in taxes to the British government. Britain’s taxes are already unusually high – with the more wealthy paying 45% in taxes.

Is The Times putting Jimmy front and center on this issue really the best idea? Sure, he’s got one of the most recognizable faces in Britain, but surely there are much worse cases. Such as, you know, Rupert Murdoch’s companies, in particular.

Funnily enough, The Times is owned by Rupert Murdoch.

Here’s a video of Jimmy in Montreal in 2009.