Joe Lycett’s controversial look on the BBC’s new flagship Sunday morning political present didn’t present the company has an anti-Tory bias, its director common has insisted.
Tim Davie was responding to Conservative complaints in regards to the resolution to guide the comic as a visitor on ‘Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg’.
Lycett pretended to be “extremely proper wing” as he applauded Liz Truss’s look on the programme, shouting “You smashed it, Liz” after she was interviewed.
Showing alongside former Quantity 10 aide Cleo Watson and Labour frontbencher Emily Thornberry, he mentioned: “You mentioned earlier I’m not left or proper. I do know there’s been criticism within the Mail on Sunday at the moment about leftie liberal wokie comedians on the BBC.
“I’m really very proper wing and I adore it. I believed she gave nice clear solutions. I do know precisely what she’s as much as.”
As Kuennsberg tried to get Joe to be severe for a second noting that Truss pointed to a “large package deal of assist coming this week to hep folks pay their payments”, Lycett joked: “She was very clear what she mentioned! I feel we all know precisely what’s going to occur. You’re reassured, I’m reassured, are you reassured?!”
His look led to a livid backlash, with the Day by day Mail even placing it on their entrance web page – prompting Lycett to joke that he was “off to the framers” so he may cling it on his wall.
On the digital, tradition, media and sport committee this morning, Tory MP Steve Brine attacked the choice to have the comic on the present.
He mentioned: “He did this mock applause after Liz Truss left the interview chair, he was then instantly requested for his response and he mentioned ‘she was the dregs of what they’ve bought accessible and the backwash of the accessible MPs’.
“Now no matter your opinion … for a model new present, which actually desires to get off to a great begin, while you’re reserving a pundit to go on, Joe Lycett shouldn’t be an uncontroversial determine.
“How a few dialog earlier than output the place somebody says ’you realize what, a brand new present, new begin, new time period, let’s not guide Joe as a result of we all know what Joes’s going to ship.”
However Tim Davie hit again: “We are able to debate the deserves of that exact reserving – I don’t assume it displayed BBC bias within the slightest. The viewers noticed it for what it was.”
He mentioned that by yesterday, the BBC had solely acquired 28 complaints about Lycett and added: “What I might say is Laura carried out herself because the BBC host in an exemplary style in a barely troublesome state of affairs. We transfer on.”
