Bill Cosby: Judd Apatow criticises Canadian events venues where comedian will perform in January 2015

The US film producer and director posted a series of tweets

Judd Apatow (Getty )

Judd Apatow has criticised two Canadian events venues at which Bill Cosby is scheduled to perform at the start of next year.

The US film producer and director took to Twitter to criticise Centre in the Square and Budweiser Gardens for going ahead with the shows scheduled for January, following accusations by numerous women that Cosby sexually assaulted them.

Apatow, known for the likes of Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, tweeted:

The Centre has posted a statement on its website that said it could not cancel the show due to a contractual agreement.

"The Centre takes very seriously the concerns raised by patrons and the local community. This is a rental show and CITS is contractually obligated to move forward with the show unless it is cancelled by the external promoter. Our response is not complacent or an attempt to pass on the blame," it said.

Apatow’s tweets sparked off a debate, with some users agreeing with him and others criticising him for attacking the comedian and actor, who has not been found guilty of any crime.

Cosby has denied previous allegations made against him. He has defended himself, saying that "people need to fact check". His lawyer has described the allegations as "decades old" and "discredited".

In 2006, Andrea Constand claimed that Cosby had drugged and assaulted her in his Philadelphia mansion in 2004 - allegations firmly denied by his lawyers. Over 13 alleged victims were proposing to testify but the civil case with Constand settled in 2006. The terms of the settlement remain undisclosed.

This week it has been reported that Cosby has hired private investigators to "dig up dirt" on several women who have made accusations against him.

Mr Cosby’s lawyer, Martin Singer, suggested that the investigators were merely doing the work that the press had failed to, telling the New York Post: "You don’t need private investigators to find out information about the accusers. A simple Google search will obtain the information."