The One Show has causally glossed over a controversial joke made by actor Dan Stevens about Prime Minister Boris Johnson which shocked presenters Alex Jones and Jermaine Jenas.
The 39-year-old Downton Abbey icon was a guest on the popular BBC One evening chat show and was promoting his latest TV show, titled Gaslit.
The series – which co-stars Julia Roberts and Sean Penn – centres around the Watergate Scandal in the 1970s which ended the presidency of US President Richard Nixon.
Dan was asked to give a description about the upcoming series, which is due to start airing on the streaming service Starz later this month.
He 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.”
After a pause, he then quipped: “No, I'm sorry that's the intro to Boris Johnson. I’ve just said the intro to Boris Johnson, I'm so sorry.”
Show host Alex, 45, gasped as Dan made his joke.
While 39-year-old co-host and former footballer Jermaine failed to stifle a laugh and he turned his face away from the cameras.
Over on social media, however, The One Show dutifully acted as if the scene-stealing moment never even happened.
Their official Twitter account highlights all the best bits from the show every day – but for Dan's viral moment, they failed to mention the part that got everybody talking.
Their official account instead stated: "@thatdanstevens tells us all about his role as John Dean in his new series #Gaslit and what it was like to work with Julia Roberts!"
This week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson landed in hot water when it was revealed he received a fine from the Metropolitan Police over ‘Partygate’ – itself a pun on the Nixon administration ending Watergate scandal.
The 57-year-old politician became the first ever serving Prime Minister in UK political history to be found to have broken the law while in office.
The Met determined that the he broke Covid rules on 19 June 2020 when he attended a party celebrating his own birthday while the country was in lockdown.
The incident took place in the Cabinet Room and was when the Prime Minister was infamously “ambushed by cake” in a surprise celebration organised by his wife, Carrie, 34.
ITV news reported that 30 people attended the surprise celebration, sang Happy Birthday and were served cake.
A Number 10 spokesperson claimed staff had "gathered briefly" to "wish the prime minister a happy birthday" – while it is believed Mr Johnson stayed to celebrate "for less than 10 minutes".
At the time, Covid rules stated that gatherings of more than two people inside were banned – unless it was “reasonably necessary” for work purposes.
It has been reported that the Prime Minister’s fine is fixed at £50 for this breach of the law.
Mr Johnson has accepted his fate, telling Sky News earlier this week: "I have paid the fine and I once again offer a full apology."
And when asked if he would quit his role as Prime Minister, he said: "I want to be able to get on and deliver the mandate that I have, but also to tackle the problems that the country must face right now."
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