Richard Osman Has Told Politicians To “Suck It Up” When It Comes To Getting Mocked On Panel Shows.
The ‘Pointless’ host has responded to claims that shows like ‘Have I Got News For You’ are too left-wing, but he insisted that’s simply down to who’s in power.
The 49-year-old star and producer shrugged off the suggestion that there is any bias with programmes holding people to account.
He told The Sun newspaper: “Panel shows for the past ten years would have been quite left-wing because the government has been right-wing.
“And the second, you know, we have a left-wing Government, it’ll change over.
“The job of any of those shows is to hold power to account, and the people in power are on the right at the moment.”
He explained: “You’ve got to suck it up. You’re in charge. Comedy writers don’t care who you are.
“Whoever’s in charge, they will take a pop. I know loads and loads of writers for these shows. None of them are political. None of them.
“They’re always just looking for the joke. And the joke is always, ‘Who’s in charge? Who’s in power? What can we say about them?’
Richard also discussed the BBC’s new Director-General Tim Davie, who has tried to crack down on big stars – who are paid by the licence fee – being too opinionated on social media.
He added: “It’s a very hard gig. If I was the Director-General, I might take a few people aside and just say, ‘You know, you are being paid by the licence fee’.
“But honestly, I’ve worked for the BBC on screen for 11 or 12 years. I’ve not had a single occasion where they’ve told me to say something, told me to not say something. Not a single one.”
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