Dan Stevens stunned the presenters of The One Show as he criticised Boris Johnson live on UK television.
The Conservative leader is currently facing calls to resign after being fined, along with Rishi Sunak, for breaking lockdown to attend illegal parties at Downing Street.
He is the first sitting prime minister ever found to have broken the law.
While appearing on the BBC magazine show on Thursday (13 April) to promote his forthcoming series Gaslit, which deals with the Watergate scandal of the Seventies, the British actor spoke out against Johnson.
“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 explained, seemingly describing the plot of the show.
The Downtown Abbey star then jokingly corrected himself: “No, I’m sorry that’s the intro to Boris Johnson.”
Presenters Alex Jones and Jermaine Jenas looked speechless after Stevens made the remark, while gasps could be heard within the studio.
The off-script moment sent ripples through social media, with thousands of Twitter users instantly responding to Stevens’ remarks.
“A round of applause for Dan Stevens,” wrote actor Nicholas Pegg.
While Johnson and Sunak have apologised and paid their fixed penalty notices, it is yet to be seen if they will resign.
Gaslit comes to StarzPlay on Sunday 24 April.
