Clive Myrie Removed From BBC ‘News at Ten’ Over Boris Johnson Jokes on Satirical Show ‘Have I Got News For You’

Respected British broadcaster Clive Myrie was removed at the last minute from presenting an edition of the BBC’s “News at Ten” last week, according to a report in the U.K.’s Times newspaper.

Myrie was replaced by Jane Hill as the news bulletin presenter on June 16 because BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore had impartiality concerns regarding the ruling Conservative party, per the Times. Earlier that evening, Myrie had hosted the BBC’s “Have I Got News For You,” a satirical comedy quiz show that grills celebrity contestants on the week’s top stories and news, where he made several jokes about former Prime Minister Boris Johnson who had been found guilty of deliberately misleading the U.K. parliament over the ‘partygate’ scandal.

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Myrie had opened the show saying: “After being found by the House of Commons committee to have lied repeatedly, Boris Johnson takes the opportunity to deny that he’s ever been jogging or has a dog,” over footage of Johnson jogging with his dog. The show also included jokes about the Conservative party from Myrie.

“It didn’t feel right for Clive to go almost straight to the news when he’d just been making jokes. It was a tonal thing rather than due to anyone being overly anxious,” the Times said, quoting a BBC executive.

The BBC declined to comment when approached by Variety.

“There wasn’t a specific joke which triggered the request. It was more to do with concerns that Clive was doing two very different types of programs within an hour of each other. There was possibly a bit of over-caution, which felt a bit over the top to most people in news,” the Times said, quoting an insider.

Myrie is one of the most respected broadcasters in the U.K. He is know for his stints reporting from the frontlines of the war in Ukraine, hosting revered BBC quiz show “Mastermind” and travel show “Clive Myrie’s Italian Road Trip.” At the Royal Television Society’s 2021 Television Journalism Awards, Myrie won both television journalist of the year and network presenter of the year. Myrie, who joined the BBC in 1987 as a trainee local radio reporter, delivered the 2022 Royal Television Society Steve Hewlett Memorial Lecture, during which he laid out a passionate defence of his employer, saying “the corporation, in fulfilling its core purpose, sits at the very heart of our society – actually helping to keep this country together. The BBC is a binding agent that unites us all, a kind of social glue. The corporation is actually, I believe, fundamental to who we are, and our idea of ourselves.”

Former star soccer player and BBC sports presenter Gary Lineker, known for his frank opinions, weighed in on the matter, tweeting: “Oh for crying out loud! If the BBC invite @CliveMyrieBBC to present #HIGNFY the chances are there’ll be political jokes.”

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