There were gasps from the studio crew on The One Show last night (April 13) as actor Dan Stevens made an appearance to discuss his new show Gaslit but instead used his time on the sofa as an opportunity to slam Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The former Downton Abbey star was promoting his upcoming show, which will tell the story of the President Nixon and the infamous Watergate scandal of 1972 when speaking to presenters Alex Jones and Jermaine Jenas, he was asked to explain the premise of the show and seized his chance:
Dan said: "Well, what you’ve got is a criminal for a leader who is wrapped in a messy war, embroiled in a stupid scandal and surrounded by ambitious idiots and really should resign," he said, before pausing briefly. He then continued: "I’m sorry that’s the intro to Boris Johnson."
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As content airing on the BBC is expected to be politically impartial there was clearly audible gasps from studio, and presenters Alex and Jermaine looked stunned, before Dan went on to explain the plot of the series in relation to Nixon. This week it was confirmed that Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have been fined for breaking lockdown laws.
Twitter erupted after Dan's comments with TV Critic and Broadcaster @ScottBryan tweeting the clip saying: "STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND WATCH THIS MOMENT FROM THE ONE SHOW".
Tweeter @one9eighty said: "Dan Stevens - take a bow for that performance on the One Show sunshine. Wearing Ukrainian colours and simultaneously throwing shade at BoZo Johnson" while @supertanskiii said: "The fact that Dan Stevens telling the truth about Johnson on the BBC caused a gasp, tells you everything you need to know about the government’s influence on the broadcaster and wider media."
