The BBC has issued a statement after presenters were stunned into silence following a savage dig at the Prime Minister.
Guest star Dan Stevens made the joke on The One Show while promoting his new period drama Gaslit, which revolves around the US Watergate scandal. Presenters Alex Jones and Jermaine Jenas were stunned after Stevens suddenly referenced Boris Johnson.
It came just a day after the Tory leader was fined £50 for breaking lockdown rules by attending a party to celebrate his birthday while the country was in lockdown. The Downton Abbey actor didn’t hold back as he made an attack on the Prime Minister, MEN reports.
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He said: “What you’ve got is a criminal for a leader who is wrapped up in a messy war, embroiled in a stupid scandal and surrounded by ambitious idiots and really should resign... I’m sorry that’s the intro to Boris Johnson, I've just said the intro to Boris Johnson."
Responding to the comment on the show, presenter Alex gasped out loud at the swipe while co-host Jermaine looked away while stifling a laugh. Many people took to social media to share their thoughts.
Jane Rackham said on Twitter: "Doubt Dan will be invited back on BBC, even though he’s saying what the majority of the nation are thinking."
Nick Rochford said: "It’s funny and true. But what’s shocking is that how shockingly rebellious and outré this is. We should be a democracy and have free speech. Rather than it being embarrassingly covered up or apologised for." Another user tweeted: "Oh my. I don't think the One Show were expecting THAT little nugget of delight."
It has since been revealed that Dan's comments sparked complaints from viewers. And the broadcaster has now issued a statement saying the comments were "taken in jest" and the hosts had "moved the conversation on".
In a statement addressing the complaints the BBC responded: "The One Show is a live topical entertainment programme where the hosts are joined by a variety of guests to discuss a broad range of subjects.
"Actor Dan Stevens was a guest on Wednesday 13 April and made comments about Boris Johnson in response to a question from the hosts about his new TV project before going on to talk about the series. These comments were taken in jest and the hosts moved the conversation on to the focus of the interview."
Mr Johnson has faced the House of Commons this week following his fine for breaking lockdown rules. Alongside his wife Carrie Johnson and the Chancellor Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister was issued a fixed penalty notice (FPN) by the Metropolitan Police for attending a surprise birthday party thrown in his honour in the Cabinet room in June 2020 while coronavirus restrictions were in place.
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister issued a "wholehearted apology" to MPs over his partygate fine, but he insisted he did not know he was breaking his own coronavirus rules. He also confirmed that he had paid the FPN charge immediately.
