A clip from GB News complaining about so-called “cancel culture” ruining comedy has become unintentional comedy gold.
A segment from the news channel, which actually aired back on 4th November, saw host and former Brexit Party MEP Alex Phillips bemoan attempts to ban certain comedians for their inappropriate jokes.
However, the actual topic of the discussion is not what has caught people’s attention here.
Instead, Phillips’s monologue, which namechecks playwrights like Aristophanes, Shakespeare and Molière (and Michael McIntyre), has gone viral for reasons that should be obvious once you’ve watched it.
Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter
The initial prelude to the segment was pretty good but really kicked into gear when she got to the crux of the matter. Phillips lashed out at “Woketeers” for trying to “gag gags, ban banter and make us all quit wit.”
We’re not sure what Woketeers are but you have to admire the way that she managed to make everything else rhyme from thereon. Genuinely impressive stuff.
Despite the original broadcast airing nearly two weeks ago, the segment is finally getting the love it deserves with inevitable comparisons being made to one of Alan Partridge’s speeches on Mid-Morning Matters or This Time.
#AccidentalPartridge pic.twitter.com/JXgFpOi8BY
— Accidental Partridge (@AccidentalP) November 14, 2021
This is word for word a partridge script. Even the delivery is spot on. https://t.co/LB31A1TrtT
— MeltyAlex writes low quality tweet theft articles (@WanderingSadu) November 14, 2021
Who has upset you now GB News??? pic.twitter.com/HE8g1XNUcS
— Dan from Torquay (@dan_thetall_man) November 14, 2021
An apology: A few days ago I suggested GB News and Talk Radio were second class broadcasters compared to LBC’s @mrjamesob - Having seen this clip, I’ve realised I was wrong and that James could never be as insightful and witty as this genius… https://t.co/KXOElyXjRv
— Hal Cruttenden (@Halcruttenden) November 15, 2021
Came across this and watched for five minutes, agog. Not just at the straw man argument or the ignorance of the content (eg. Aristophanes, APPARENTLY, wrote comedy to lower the temperature and be kind 👀), but just the sheer AWFULNESS of the Key Stage 2 cobbled-together writing. pic.twitter.com/bmcO1zDThB
— Alex Andreou (@sturdyAlex) November 14, 2021
Can you imagine cringing for a living? https://t.co/sj0jpGsFtR
— Owen Williams 🏴 (@OwsWills) November 15, 2021
GB News has perhaps been unfairly branded as a laughing stock since it launched, due to its low viewing figures and founder Andrew Neil leaving after just a few months. Yet you have to say the likes of Steve Coogan and Armando Iannucci would struggle to come up with writing as funny as this.