It was cringe-making at times, it was devastating at times, it was much loved by political obsessives and it was a ratings success. That was This Week that was. Andrew Neil long complained about the late night scheduling, which gave it a slightly alcohol glazed tinge for many viewers. All part of the charm…
As Guido readers are well aware, the new set of EU leaders thrust upon us following days of secret backroom Brussels horse-trading aren’t exactly the most illustrious bunch – from the Karen Bradley of German politics to the deeply unpleasant Spanish Foreign Minister convicted of insider trading just last year. Safe to say Andrew Neil is not impressed. The poor pro-EU journalist doesn’t stand a chance…
“I knew Andrew Marr when he was a Trotskyite selling Trotskyite newspapers to bewildered railywaymen” says George Galloway in a critique of modern television interviewing and Marr’s ill judged attempt at a Farage “gotcha” interview last Sunday. Worth watching in full for his appraisal of the state of the game in the week Brian Walden passed…
The Liberal Democrats’ candidate in the Newport West by-election last night was nowhere to be seen at the count. Ryan Jones, a local businessman couldn’t make it to the count due to a mysterious “longstanding commitment” at ten past one in the morning. Welsh Liberal Democrat President William Powell wouldn’t let on. What was he up to..?
Last night on Andrew Neil entirely seriously informed the This Week audience that that he and the show’s guests will be participating in a ‘Brexit Danceathon’ – not stopping until Britain has left the EU. Guido fears that they may be dancing long after This Week has ended as a show…
This Week began with an opening monologue from Andrew Neil that set the record straight on Churchill after the nonsense spoken about him over the last few weeks. A timely refresher that all politicians should watch…
UPDATE: It emerged overnight that the BBC is scrapping This Week after 16 years with Andrew Neil stepping down from late night presenting. His weekly slot on Politics ‘Lite’ will soon be his only regular appearance – this hardly does justice to one of the giants of broadcasting. Neil is one of the few true heavyweights left on the BBC, they will miss him when he’s gone…
Fran Unsworth, BBC Director of News, said: “We couldn’t imagine This Week without the inimitable Andrew Neil, one of Britain’s best political interviewers. After 16 years, Andrew is bowing out of late-night presenting on the show, at the top of his game. We want to keep Andrew at the heart of the BBC’s political coverage. He continues to present Politics Live on Thursdays and we look forward to developing future projects with him.”
Things got personal last night on the This Week sofa when Owen Jones, who was appearing on the show to talk about the threat poised by the British far right, went for Andrew Neil over his role as Chairman of the Spectator. The whole kerfuffle meant that there was no time for Owen to actually answer the question on the distinction between far right ‘thuggery’ and far left ‘activism’. It gets heated…
Responding to reports that Theresa May is preparing to further capitulate in forcing the UK to remain within a Customs Union indefinitely, and for Northern Ireland to remain in the single market, DUP MP Emma Little-Pengelly could not have been clearer:
“[Michel Barnier] has been blunt. He made it absolutely clear that under this arrangement, Northern Ireland would not be able to participate in free trade deals. To us this is not the best of both worlds, in fact we think this is the worst of both worlds… It is a deal breaker.”
Ouch…
“What evidence is there that the Russians had any influence on the Brexit referendum?” @afneil asks @acgrayling #bbctw pic.twitter.com/6naHoWv7MS
— BBC This Week (@bbcthisweek) June 14, 2018
Carole Cadwalladr and The Observer won plaudits from Twitter’s maddest Remoaner, AC Grayling, on BBC This Week last night. Alas he went on to admit there was no evidence the Russians had any influence on the Brexit result. With an endorsement like that…
“In what way is she handling it very well?” @afneil
“In what way is she handling it very well?” @afneil
“In what way is she handling it very well?” @afneil
“In what way is she handling it very well?” @afneil
“In what way is she handling it very well?” @afneil #bbctw pic.twitter.com/KjJIiZUEjD
— BBC This Week (@bbcthisweek) 26 April 2018
Amber Rudd’s Remain ally Ed Vaizey last night somewhat stretched credibility by claiming the Home Secretary is handling the Windrush scandal “very well”. Andrew Neil challenged Vaizey five times to give an example of how Rudd was indeed managing the scandal “very well”. Alas he unsurprisingly couldn’t give one…
Odd outing on This Week from the usually right-on Harriet Harman as she made a off-colour joke live on air. Brillo was not impressed:
What was wrong was 1) Even to tell that so called joke on live TV. 2) Claim I would like the joke. Appalling on both counts. https://t.co/0RJVTVAX2U
— Andrew Neil (@afneil) 3 November 2017
Oops…
I don’t know why @edballs and the Remain side keep trying to rewrite the history of the referendum, you lost, get over it pic.twitter.com/zBGWf98k0r
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) 14 July 2017
Ed Balls claimed on last night’s This Week that “many people on the Leave campaign were saying they wanted to stay in the single market“. He was then unable to name one (because there weren’t any). As Nigel said in response: “every single leading player, all the way through the referendum, could not have been clearer, a vote for Brexit was a vote to leave the single market.” Still the hardcore Remainers perpetuate this myth…
“We got through nine minutes without mentioning Hitler” says @afneil to @ken4london
“Oh, I think I just did!” https://t.co/u3NZj2y1wo
— BBC This Week (@bbcthisweek) September 22, 2016
So Brillo did it for him…
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s big brother has been on This Week, where he wasted no time in laying into the theory of man-made climate change.
No comment from his little brother Jezza yet…
This from the archives emerged last night:
Mao seems to have more than one shadow cabinet fan…
Michael Portillo laid down some sick lyrics on BBC This Week last night with a very special version of NWA’s Straight Outta Compton:
“When I’m in your neighbourhood you better duck, because Portillo is crazy as f*ck…”
Diane Abbott made around £20,000-a-year from her BBC appearance fees, fees that her frontbench role will cost her in lost earnings. BBC sources confirm that she will no longer appear on This Week. A decision on a Labour replacement will be made soon. Plenty of bitter, Blairite ex-frontbenchers available now. Suggestions in the comments for runners and riders…
