There was a very funny exchange on this morning's Broadcasting House, where Paddy O'Connell came in for some on-target 'friendly fire' from Clive Anderson:
Paddy O'Connell: On the subject of the press, the Labour Party is right to say...and its supporters...that the press is biased. That's correct. That's not wrong. The press is, broadly-speaking, anti-Labour. That's a true fact, isn't it?Sue Cameron: Well, you should hear some of the Tories on how awful the BBC, for instance...Paddy O'Connell (interrupting): Well, let's do the BBC discussion, and maybe do it tomorrow, but are...do you think they are wrong to say...?Sue Cameron: Well, I think a lot of newspapers make no secret of the fact they're anti-Labour...Paddy O'Connell (interrupting): Well, they support other parties...Sue Cameron: ...well, they're quite entitled to.Paddy O'Connell: So that's not controversial, what...?Clive Anderson: You are the perfect BBC man, Paddy, there...Paddy O'Connell (interrupting): Well, you can disagree.Clive Anderson: No, no, I know...that brilliant thing, "We'll talk about the press now. We'll talk about the BBC tomorrow"...when you're not on! (Laughter)...and just before you were great because Sue said, oh, look at these Scots Nats attacking JK Rowling online. "Oh, they're said to be Scot Nats". They clearly could be Liberal Democrats, obviously, pretending to the Scots Nats.
Paddy, obviously feeling embarrassed there, returned to the subject soon after but, again, after a faint show of 'trying to do the right thing', quickly proved himself to be the 'epitome' of the BBC by swiftly 'moving on':
Paddy O'Connell: I apologise for rustling there. I was looking for a big attack on the BBC in the papers, which there has been this weekend and, indeed, I'm sure today, but certainly...Clive Anderson: Check out The Mail on Sunday. They've usually got at least a dozen stories.Paddy O'Connell: No, but I think you're right...Clive's right...Clive Anderson: You're the epitome.Paddy O'Connell: You're right to raise..to do it, but maybe not right now. So, Clive Anderson, where next?
Not Paddy's finest moment that. He got caught with his pants down. And his attempts to pull them right back up again only made matters worse, exposing his biased underpants for all to see.
This is me, Clive Anderson, saying 'goodnight'. Goodnight.
'We'll talk about the BBC tomorrow"...when you're not on!'
ReplyDeleteAh, but it will be covered somewhere on the BBC sometime, so the kick into long grass attempt is fully justified.
Well, it would be if it was a BBC Complaints Director trying to explain that one away.
Epitonic of the evening.