Kate Plummer
Sep 05, 2022
Indy
Times in which BBC political shows have featured 'comedy moments' are resurfacing after Joe Lycett's controversial stunt on Laura Kuenssberg's politics show.
Posting on Twitter, people have shared times the broadcaster covered politics in a lighthearted way, including when a Dalek appeared on the Andrew Marr show alongside Boris Johnson in 2008, and when Andrew Neil did a 'Brexit dance', to challenge critics who say the comedian undermined the BBC's tone in his interview yesterday.
Lycett trolled viewers yesterday when he appeared on the show by sarcastically pretending to be right-wing.
When asked for his thoughts on what Truss had to say about solving the cost of living crisis, for instance, Lycett said: "You said earlier I’m not left or right. I know there's been criticism in the Mail on Sunday today about leftie liberal wokie comedians on the BBC. I’m actually very right wing and I love it. I thought she gave great clear answers. I know exactly what she's up to."
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While some people found it funny, he was criticised by some commentators who thought it was inappropriate. Rob Burley, the excutive editor of Tonight with Andrew Marr on LBC Radio wrote: "Memo: don’t put comedians on Question Time or any other serious political show. It’s not the time for that nonsense anymore."
\u201cMemo: don\u2019t put comedians on Question Time or any other serious political show. It\u2019s not the time for that nonsense anymore.\u201d— Rob Burley (@Rob Burley) 1662280323
But it is not the first time the BBC has shown its lighter side.
Here are a few examples:
\u201cJoe Lycett had undermined serious political debate on the BBC \ud83d\ude24\u201d— Manic Kieth Preachers QC (@Manic Kieth Preachers QC) 1662295845
\u201cSad to see the BBC's usually sophisticated & weighty political journalism undermined today.\u201d— Tom Mills (@Tom Mills) 1662313672
\u201cHow dare Joe Lycett defile the seriousness of BBC Politics programming.\u201d— Marl Karx (@Marl Karx) 1662315891
\u201c\u201cJoe Lycett totally undermined the seriousness of the BBC and political debate in general\u2026\u201d\u201d— Mic Wright (@Mic Wright) 1662302611
We find out who the next PM is today and everyone is going on about a comedian.
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