Sunday 13 October 2019

Replaced at short notice


Waxwork Paul

The Tory MP Mark Francois was delighted — if a little surprised — to be approached by BBC1’s Have I Got News For You. “He would be a great guest,” a researcher gushed. Not that great, obviously. He was replaced at short notice last week by the Liberal Democrat Layla Moran. 
“I presume the BBC invited me because of my relatively high profile as a Brexiteer,” says Francois. “It dropped me without explanation for one of the most pro-EU MPs in parliament.” It could have been worse. At least he wasn’t replaced by the infamous tub of lard.
Actually, the real way that it could have been worse is if he had appeared. I suspect he had a very lucky escape. Ian (the Miles Malleson of satire) and the waxwork of Paul wouldn't have made it much fun for him.

5 comments:

  1. Why on Earth do these people go on HIGNFY. Clearly they were setting up Francois for one of those puke-making pieces to camera by Hislop where he reads out to camera all the victim's alleged crimes and misdemeanours. I wonder if perhaps the HIGNFY researchers couldn't find any dirt on Francois and so he was dropped.

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  2. Can somebody remind me when HIGNFY stopped being funny? I think it was about 15 years ago...

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    1. Probably about the same time as The News Quiz on Radio Four. Considering how dire both programmes are now it almost seems superfluous to mention this, but the News Quiz was much funnier.

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    2. The same time Hislop's Private Eye stopped being funny. Now it's all anti-Brexit, anti-business, anti-Tory agitprop with the occasional dig at Jeremy Corbyn (for not being Remain enough) thrown in for "balance". After 40 years reading the mag I sadly intend to let my subscription lapse. I shall miss the RGJ cartoons.

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  3. Barry Took was both funny and unfailingly good-humoured.

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