‘Be careful this early in the morning’: Ben Shephard reprimands comedian Al Murray as he makes rude gesture live on Good Morning Britain
Ben Shephard was forced to reprimand Al Murray after he made a rude gesture live on Thursday’s episode of Good Morning Britain.
The outspoken comedian, 52, stuck his fingers up at the camera in response to reports that the BBC is threatening to axe comedy shows for being too ‘left-wing’.
Al was unimpressed with the news that Tim Davie, the new Director-General of the BBC is reportedly trying to tackle a perceived ‘left-wing bias’ in the broadcaster’s comedy output.
Too early: Ben Shephard was forced to reprimand Al Murray after he made a rude gesture live on Thursday’s episode of Good Morning Britain
Speaking to Ben and Susanna Reid, Al said: ‘The Pub Landlord (sketch) tends to be too left-wing for right-wing people, and too right for left wing people.
‘The thing is if people really want more right wing comedy they’re gong to have to vote for a left-wing government, whether you agree with it or not the job of a comedian is to cause mischief and say the unsayable, and also to flick Vs at the government.
‘I mean honestly, we’re supposed to be gargoyles, causing mischief and trouble.’
To emphasis his point, the comedian then waved two fingers at the camera and blew a raspberry at viewers.
Comedy: The outspoken comedian, 52, stuck his fingers up at the camera in response to reports that the BBC is threatening to axe comedy shows for being too ‘left-wing’
Ben told him to keep things family friendly, saying: ‘Be careful of the Vs this early in the morning Al’ to which Susanna joked: ‘It was the Victory sign!’
Mr Davie, the former chief executive of BBC Studios, the corporation’s commercial production and distribution arm, is expected to set out his plans for the broadcaster in the coming week, with impartiality a key focus.
He is said to have told staff the BBC needs to keep reforming ‘with urgency’ and stressed it must be ‘a universal public service’.
Al said: ‘The thing is if people really want more right wing comedy they’re gong to have to vote for a left-wing government’
He reportedly wants a radical overhaul of the broadcaster’s comedy output in the coming months, over fears it is seen as is seen as ‘too one-sided’, reports The Telegraph.
Shows such as BBC Two’s satirical comedy The Mash Report and The Now Show on Radio 4 and Have I Got News For You have previously been criticised.
BBC broadcaster Andrew Neil in 2018 described the former as a ‘self satisfied, self adulatory, unchallenged Left-wing propaganda,’ while he hit out at The Now Show on Radio 4 as ‘contrived ideological commentary’.
He added: ‘Whether you agree with it or not the job of a comedian is to cause mischief and say the unsayable, and also to flick Vs at the government’