Mark Mardell gets his facts wrong (again)

The (2008) crash brought down banks but did so much more. It added fat to the fire, poured petrol on the glowing embers of resentment - resentment of conventional politics and of politicians who couldn't get a handle on the crisis, who were too busy trying to deal with it to reflect the rage and resentment which bubbled up seeking an outlet. The time seemed ripe for UKIP. (Mark Mardell, The World at One, 25/8)

The penultimate episode of Mark Mardell's epic Brexit: A Love Story? was broadcast on yesterday's The World at One. His odyssey had finally reached Nigel Farage.  

As we discussed on the Open Thread, the item was heavy on Nick Clegg, treating him almost like the oracle, and (as MB put it) Mark Mardell "felt free (by none too subtle use of allegory) to accuse a mainstream party - UKIP - of being aggressive, violent and criminal in intent". 

It also included a clip of David Dimbleby presenting the 2014 local and European elections and saying, "And, of course, the party with most to talk about and the biggest mouth in politics at the moment, Nigel Farage's UKIP". The drawling derision with which he pronounced "...the biggest mouth in politics..." was quite something. Has he even talked about another UK party leader like that before (or after)?

Plus there was also a glaring factual error from Mark Mardell too when he said:

Douglas Carswell's defection and by-election victory gave UKIP their first ever MP.

That was actually Bob Spink who defected from the Conservatives to UKIP in 2008.

As MB put it, "that's a pretty gross error for someone whose job it is to follow all things political and parliamentary, and who no doubt as researchers to hand, free to use as far as he is concerned...and then the producer presumably read the script".

What's the betting though that Brexit: A Love Story? eventually wins Mark Mardell an award of some kind?