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Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson has appeared on Rylan Clark’s BBC podcast How to be in the Spotlight.
Coulson, 56, served time in prison for his part in the phone-hacking scandal, after evidence of illegal eavesdropping at the News of the World first emerged while he was editor in 2005.
After denying any knowledge of the phone hacking, Coulson was found guilty of conspiracy to hack phones in June 2014 and was sentenced to 18 months in prison, but served only five months.
Some listeners were left horrified by Clark’s choice to platform Coulson on his popular podcast, which hears from guests about the “good, the bad and the ugly” of being in the public eye.
Announcing Clark’s forthcoming interview with Coulson, a post on BBC Radio 4’s Instagram account read: “Rylan speaks to Andy Coulson, former editor of News of the World, about the highs and lows of his career in tabloid journalism.”
Fans were quick to respond to the announcement in shock, with multiple followers questioning why Coulson was being given a platform.
“This man is beyond redemption and I truly believe that if you know someone who has suffered due to his work ethics, you would not [have] given him the time of day!” one person wrote in the comments. “We all have to make better choices in life and unfortunately this man has no moral compass!”
A second user boycotted the episode, writing: “Have absolutely loved these podcast episodes so far, however I won’t be listening to this one. Andy Coulson deserves not one iota of forgiveness or empathy. He is beyond redemption.”
A third person bluntly commented: “Sorry, no sympathy,” in response to a clip of Coulson’s “apology” over his “bad decisions”.
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The Independent has contacted the BBC for comment.
When Coulson was sentenced in 2014, the judge determined that the editor believed hacking was necessary to maintain the News of the World’s“competitive edge” against other publications.
Prosecutor Andrew Edis argued that the publication under Coulson’s leadershiphad become “utterly corrupt”, condemning it as “a thoroughly criminal enterprise”.
Edis said the lengthy list of victims of Coulson’s publication’s phone hacking read like a “Who’s Who of Britain in the first five years of the century”.
The scandal led to the closure of the paper. Since then, hundreds of cases against newspaper groups have been settled and dozens more are still making their way through the UK court system.
