General BBC-related comment thread!

Please use this thread for comments about the BBC’s current programming and activities. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog – scroll down for new topic-specific posts. N.B. This is not an invitation for general off-topic comments, rants or chit-chat. Thoughtful comments are encouraged. Comments may also be moderated. Any suggestions for stories that you might like covered would be appreciated! It’s your space, use it wisely.

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224 Responses to General BBC-related comment thread!

  1. Grimer says:

    My favourites are:

    Moses McMental
    Gordon McGabe

    I think they sum up Brown’s premiership perfectly.

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  2. Bob, son of Bob says:

    Janaka Mendis:
    Would anti-Mugabe BBC accept that excuse? Our friend Morris would go berserk, wouldn’t he, like a monkey who had lost his banana?

    – I think the BBC was more anti Ian Smith than it is anti R Mugabe

    – It really took R Mugabe a long time and some incredible bad deeds before the BBC withdrew their hand of friendship from Mugabe. I think of him as one of their friends that went too far so he is an embarrassment to them. But they have never made any documentaries saying any good things about Ian Smith’s regime, and they still give plenty of coverage to Mugabe’s outbursts against the British.

    – Britain has closer links with Zimbabwe compared with Sri Lanka and therefore the people of Britain have a greater knowledge of the affairs of ex colony S.Rhodesia/Zimbabwe than they have with ex colony Sri Lanka/Ceylon. This is because there were more British in Rhodesia and it was a country that resembled Britain.

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  3. banjo says:

    All day long i`ve heard the words “One eyed fat idiot” associated with Gordon Brown, a lot of it on the bbc.
    The faux outrage performed on cue by his cronies simply multiplies the incidences.
    No matter the apologies,no matter the scorn jeremy has won this hands down,especially his apology for remarking on Browns appearance and nought else.

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  4. It's all too much says:

    This BBC story (08:48) didn’t mention that the ‘lease expensive’ MP was a conservative until version 2 (15:03)

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7845210.stm

    However it does praise Gwyneth Dunwoody and implied throughout that he was Labour, specifically by implying that whilst he wasn’t in government he was on the back benches.

    The question is wha did the editors let this get through?

    Bias and message handling in my opinion

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  5. Millie Tant says:

    John Bosworth:

    Interesting article about Sarah Palin. Thanks for that. Much food for thought. I found her a very appealing character and very likeable. John McCain however came over as very odd and wooden some of the time. It seemed a fairly weak campaign and programme on the Republican side.

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  6. David Preiser (USA) says:

    mailman | 06.02.09 – 12:58 pm |

    Another difference between Clarkson and Wossy…is that Ive never heard Clarkson swear on air.

    Clarkson swears all the time on Top Gear. The other two do as well, albeit rather less often. Maybe it’s more noticeable to me because they bleep it when they broadcast it for us prudish United Statesians. He doesn’t really do vulgar, though, it’s just schoolboy rudeness.

    Everyone else who has said so is quite right: Top Gear is a massive cash cow, especially the magazine and in the US. They didn’t close down the show when the little one was nearly killed and cost the license fee payers hundreds of thousands in medical bills, so why do it now?

    As Jay Hunt has revealed, it’s not the level of the offense, but the quality of the apology that counts. Clarkson has had the formula for that down pat for years.

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  7. martin says:

    David Preiser (USA): Clarkson is bleeped out for us UK prolls as well as the show goes out before the watershed.

    What’s interesting is that as you are well aware Clarkson attacks Americans for being fat, stupid, red necks and George Bush for being an idiot on a regular basis.

    But the BBC have NEVER found anti American comments offensive.

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  8. martin says:

    Millie Tant: Yes the Repubs didn’t run a good campaign. They should have really got Palin up to speed earlier on.

    Having said all that considering it was a bad campaign and they had most of the MSN against them and up Obama’s arse he hardly had a landslide did he?

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  9. Atlas shrugged says:

    Time after time a losing terrorist outfit is offered protection while the legitimate democratic government trying to eliminate them is bombarded with ‘war crimes’ and civilian casualties propaganda, one might think that the UN is so corrupted with terrorist supporters that they are now actively helping and assisting the most evil terrorist vermin the world has to offer!

    I contend the UN is not so much corrupted by terrorist supporters, the UN was indeed set up and continues to be run by terrorist supporters.

    The UN is a HIGH masonic organization, as is the EU. As such the UN and the EU are both ZIONIST organizations.

    If this seems confusing and contradictory, this is because it is supposed to be confusing and contradictory.

    Make of this what you wish, but it does not change the facts of the situation.

    A clever puppet master has to pull ALL of the strings, to get it to move in a way that he so desires.

    I contend that the people who set up The State of Israel must be highly content for their project to be constantly living in a state of fear. Otherwise they would have done something about this 60 years old problem, a long time ago.

    As ALL governments including that of The US and The UK always prefer their populations to live in petrifying fear of one kind or another.

    Why should we believe that the people that set up the State of Israel in the first place, do not also?

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  10. TPO says:

    So Clarkson calls the kiddy fiddler a one-eyed Scottish idiot and all hell breaks loose at the BBC.
    How come there was no outrage when we had ‘Bush is a retard’ comments.

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  11. TPO says:

    I went to a Top Gear filming this summer…… even after the two-hundredth ‘can I have my picture taken with you’ request!
    Chuffer | 06.02.09 – 1:05 pm |

    Hey Chuffer, next time your at Dunsfold look out for a 40s something six foot gormo going thin on top, slightly gingerish, answers to the name of Neil, always wanting his photo taken with JC. He’s my brother in law.
    I suspect your farm is not too far away. Didn’t by any chance drink in the Mucky Duck or the sadly departed Thurlow Arms did you?

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  12. martin says:

    I think my top 5 names for Brown have to be

    1. McFatty One Eye
    2. McMental
    3. Prime mentalist
    4. McTwat
    5. McSnottie

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  13. TPO says:

    martin | 06.02.09 – 7:05 pm |

    You missed out kiddy fiddler

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  14. martin says:

    TPO: Coz Boosh is a yank and a right wing one at that.

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  15. Millie Tant says:

    So I always wondered who that was posting under the alias “Martin” or sometimes “martin”. Now I know.

    Outed! Clarkey Boy.

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  16. Atlas Shrugged says:

    Guantanamo Bay is really a terrorist training camp.

    Hidden in plain sight as a torture centre for “terrorists”.

    It’s “graduates” are then exported to the rest of the world to participate in American ZIONIST goals.

    Iran and the West are secretly collaborating. Hillary Clinton intends to turn Iran into the regional hegemon so she can kill the Jews.

    Atlas Shrugged

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  17. Chuffer says:

    TPO, we went to the Sun Inn in Dunsfold. Quite a sight really – four jolly hockey sticks types (“I say! Cracking motor car, what!”) among a bar full of petrolheads.

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  18. It's all too much says:

    BBC Double standards yet agian

    Stephen
    It is extraordinary. In Paris, in the . . . in Pére-Lachaise cemetery, the . . . the . . . Jim Morrison’s grave is far and away the most visited, much more than Victor Hugo or Oscar Wilde or various others. Huge . . . huge–

    Jeremy Hardy
    Thatcher’s grave is going to be a permanent urinal to all decent people, isn’t it? There will be . . .

    Stephen
    Won’t it be a . . . in fact, a dance floor?

    Alan
    What they should put on Thatcher’s grave is one of those arcade machines where the lights flash up and you have to put your feet on the lights. [slaps his palms on the table in criss-cross patterns]

    I don’t remember any apologies for this grossly insensitive and offensive exchange. Mrs Thatcher is of course a BBC hate figure and therefore open to all abuse – I think the monocular Caledonian Prime Minister can cope with a bit of mild abuse

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  19. Chuffer says:

    Oh for goodless sake, Atlas!!!

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  20. Susan Franklin says:

    Martin
    Some of the nicknames are definitely from your postings.

    Here are some more nicknames for Gordon I missed off the previous list :
    The Great Unelected One
    Comrade Gordon
    Global Moses McBrown Mugabe
    Gordon the Idiot
    Apocalypse Brown
    Jonah McBeth

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  21. Sarah Jane says:

    Mucky Duck
    TPO | 06.02.09 – 7:04 pm | #

    😉

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  22. Oscar says:

    Susan Franklin – superb list. And who says we aren’t a creative nation? That list is positively Shakespearean.

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  23. martin says:

    I see the Dail Mail is giving away the movie “The Dam Busters” tomorrow.

    Will there be complaints about the use of the word Nigger throughout the film I wonder?

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  24. Sarah Jane says:

    I see Clarkson has apologised and it is worthy of the front page of the website. FFS!

    At least it was only about the one-eyed bit.

    (Prime Mentalist is my favourite, he is often referred to as The Dementor at the beeb).

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  25. BBC Personnel Dept says:

    J ob Va cancy: in the Have Your Say Department.
    Qualifications: A high standard of academic achievement is required, plus life experience.
    Therefore it should suit a white middle class sociology/politics graduate who reads the Guardian and can spell pregudiced, or any muslim will do, provided you oppose our government’s policy in Iraq. However, if you are a female muslim and you arrive in a black bag, your husband’s signature will be required on the job application form and on the equal opportunities consent form.
    We are not ageist – even applicants as old as 28 will be considered.

    Job Description – a fast reader required – you will have to scan through several thousand posts an hour to find about half a dozen ones of the correct type that we are looking for.

    Please note: You are advised not to make any references to our department being like the Ministry for Truth in the book ‘1984’. Our department is not at all like that in the book, and we do not find those kinds of remarks funny. Please do not make them. For a start, if you notice in the film, they don’t use computers like we do, and in the film if you look through the window you will see they are all facing West, whereas our desks all face Mecca. If you do not know why, please do not apply for the job.

    Sample interview question:
    – If someone asks you how come the earth is cooling during a period of global warming, what would you say?
    (I never said our job is easy)

    Perks – private health insurance

    Location: Near all the good grammar schools and private schools

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  26. TPO says:

    Sarah Jane | 06.02.09 – 7:31 pm |

    The Mucky Duck does exist.

    http://www.mucky-duck-inn.co.uk/

    When we lived in Rudgewick in the early 90s it was one of our locals.
    Maxine who ran it took up with Dick who ran the Thurlow Arms at Baynards.

    http://www.horshampub.co.uk/thurlow.html

    Great pubs 😉
    The Thurlow was down a track on the Surrey/Sussex border and didn’t get much attention from the local plod so much late night drinking went on.

    Chuffer perhaps your not local to the area.

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  27. Sarah Jane says:

    TPO – I am not doubting you – in fact I am absolutely certain of it. X marks the spot, shall we say…

    That’s enough of that, walls have ears.

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  28. martin says:

    I’m really tempted to have Jezza as my ringtone.

    Oh and notice how the BBC forgot all about Barrowman getting his cock out in a BBC studio.

    Now what is it about Barrowman that makes his exempt punishment at the BBC?

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  29. TPO says:

    Sarah Jane | 06.02.09 – 8:03 pm |
    Gotcha!! 😉

    Know Lynwick Street by any chance?

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  30. TPO says:

    Heard the one about the Lieutenant Colonel getting arrested in Afghanistan for passing secrets to the human rights individual.

    Now it all becomes clear.

    Lt Col Owen McNally, 48, was arrested in Kabul on Monday accused of breaching the Official Secrets Act by giving potentially sensitive civilian casualty figures to Rachel Reid, a researcher for the campaign group Human Rights Watch.
    A report in a tabloid newspaper earlier this week, which quoted unnamed Ministry of Defence sources, suggested Miss Reid, 36, and divorcee Lt Col McNally had become “close”.

    Miss Reid, a former BBC foreign correspondent, publicly criticized the numbers of Afghan civilians killed in US and Nato air strikes following the publication of a report into the subject by HRW last September.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/4528971/Army-accused-of-smear-campaign-against-British-officer-and-human-rights-activist.html

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  31. Dave S says:

    I hope it stops snowing soon. Then we will be spared the excitable kiddy reporters of the BBC acting as though they are grizzled war corespondents on the front line in Bristol, Exeter and other snow blasted hellholes.
    Snow falls. Roads close or become tricky. We all know this so Beebers stay in your nice warm studios and think of new ways to purge the BBc of innappropriate people and continue your sacred war against cuddly toys.
    Teddy bears must offend somebody.

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  32. Sarah Jane says:

    TPO Dont wish to be rude but I value my anonymity, I am sure I would be toast if certain types worked out who I was.

    Can’t be giving too many clues away, but I might know it.

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  33. martin says:

    Yay! Got Mr Clarkson as my email alert and ringtone. Can’t wait for it to go off on the train next week.

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  34. TPO says:

    Sarah Jane | 06.02.09 – 8:27 pm |

    Understood.
    Where the humpback bridge is over the disused rail line and just before the brick works is where we used to live in the late 80s and early 90s.
    Not the big posh farm on the right but the dinky house on the left.
    Leave it at that shall we.

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  35. George R says:

    ‘Telegraph’

    “Axed BBC newsreader Moira Stuart to narrate C4 documentary on ageism”

    [Extract]:

    “Former BBC newsreader Moira Stuart is to narrate a documentary on ageism nearly two years after claims that she was forced out of her job as a victim of it.”

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/4538322/Axed-BBC-news-reader-Moira-Stuart-to-narrate-C4-documentary-on-ageism.html

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  36. Sarah Jane says:

    TPO – I take it its too late to send a detector van round then? 🙂

    (Sorry for the OT chat everyone, I’ll leave it there)

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  37. Chuffer says:

    TPO, oi be not local, no, that oi ain’t.
    I’m from well over the county border.

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  38. deegee says:

    Millie Tant | 06.02.09 – 5:22 pm |
    My apologies. The e-mail came this morning and I just copied the links. I had to leave my computer and I thought others would be very interested. So I posted before reading. :o(

    What follows is the e-mail summary I received.
    Just Journalism today releases its report entitled, ‘Gaza Conflict, December 2008 – January 2009: A Media Analysis’

    The report analyses coverage from the UK broadsheets and selected BBC output. To download the report, go to http://www.justjournalism.com/gazareport

    Key findings include:

    · The BBC failed to make a crucial distinction between comment and fact, particularly in its website

    · The UK media significantly under-represented the nature of Hamas and its policies towards Israel, particularly its use of violence and rejection of Israel’s right to exist. In the first week of the conflict, only 5% of broadsheet news articles, 6% of monitored radio reports and 10% of monitored TV reports mentioned any aspects of Hamas’ stance towards Israel

    · 75% of the Financial Times’ editorials and 71% of The Guardian’s editorials were less favourable than favourable towards Israel’s operation. Neither paper published a favourable editorial. The Times published the greatest proportion of neutral editorials – 50% of their editorials on the conflict

    · More generally, the broadsheets demonstrated an even balance of perspectives in their editorials throughout the conflict. Of all editorials, 34% were classified as neutral about Israel’s operation in Gaza, 32% took a less favourable stance and 34% were more favourable

    · Two crucial aspects of the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas were widely under-reported: that Hamas had been attacking areas of southern Israel since 2001 – mentioned in no monitored BBC TV reports and in only 10% of all broadsheet news articles – and that Israel unilaterally disengaged from Gaza in 2005 – not mentioned in any BBC TV reports and just 8% of all broadsheet news articles

    · The BBC did not sufficiently differentiate between civilian and Hamas casualties. Only 11% of monitored radio broadcasts and 10% of monitored TV broadcasts made this distinction. However, 40% of broadsheet press articles made the distinction

    The report addresses the following areas: editorial and opinion pieces in the press, the media’s depictions of Hamas, the representation of the conflict in cartoons and the voices coming out of Gaza.

    Once again, mea culpa. I’ll try to chase up each link.

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  39. Hugh Oxford says:

    Oh and notice how the BBC forgot all about Barrowman getting his cock out in a BBC studio.

    Now what is it about Barrowman that makes his exempt punishment at the BBC?

    Probably because he’s a practising homosexual.

    Did you know this government tried to legalise sex in public toilets? The Lords thwarted it. But for some reason the BBC did not report.

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  40. David Preiser (USA) says:

    martin | 06.02.09 – 6:21 pm |

    What’s interesting is that as you are well aware Clarkson attacks Americans for being fat, stupid, red necks and George Bush for being an idiot on a regular basis.

    But the BBC have NEVER found anti American comments offensive.

    Very true. I admit to being a little put off by the blatant bigotry on display during their little US adventure driving cheap cars down South. If I had been at that gas station in Florida, I might possibly have joined in the rock-throwing.

    But mostly I can take a joke, and realize that Herman Munster insults everybody, especially the French and Italians. He’s even allowed to get away with the occasional homophobic quip at James May’s expense. At least there’s hardly any bodily function or toilet humor. He’s a buffoon, everyone knows that’s his act, and nobody takes him seriously (except criminals who read the Telegraph and caught it when the idiot printed his bank information claiming it was safe to do so). It’s also why the BBC allows him to play the “Conservative” role. They know that the audience eats it up, and will gladly fill the Top Gear hangar with cash in response, and they can use the ratings to justify the license fee expense. So he’s safe.

    I found “Stig’s African Cousin” to be more genuinely offensive than any of the rest of it.

    To be fair, though, this time the problem seems to be the making fun of an actual physical handicap. It’s one thing for Clarkson to tease Hammond about being short, but it’s another thing to tease someone about a real handicap, almost a disfigurement, really. But if he had said just “fat liar”, there should be no problem at all.

    I notice Clarkson doesn’t seem to be apologizing about what the BBC called “accusing the Prime Minister of lying”. He better hope nobody takes him to court. I understand that, in the UK, libel laws are so bad that one can be successfully sued even if the alleged libelous remark is true.

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  41. Doug says:

    The BBC have just dropped another clanger. On QI Jo Brand mocked Saudi shoplifters who had had their hands cut off by the repressive regime in that country. It’s so funny to mock people who are disabled and mutilated by a barbaric regime. I’ll bet you that there will be no complaints from the disability charities like was today from the RNIB over Jeremy Clarkson’s comments about Gordon Brown.

    And there was more anti-Thatcher bilge on QI tonight as well. Ain’t it funny how liberals want women to get on but when it comes to Thatcher they mock her in the most disgusting sexist manner.

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  42. Millie Tant says:

    Thanks, deegee. Very interesting and well worth posting the above summary. Surprise, surprise, the BBC is in the dock!

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  43. Jack says:

    Theres a new book out which is full of what WW2 veterans think of the UK today. Now I know why the BBC has never really asked them for their opinions on the country!

    The book’s website is ;

    http://www.theunknownwarriors.co.uk

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  44. George R says:

    Note the BBC’s inverted commas around the word ‘thefts’ here:

    BBC report:

    “UN halts Gaza aid over ‘thefts'”

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7875171.stm

    The politically misguided, utopian BBC cannot believe that its Islamic jihad chums of Hamas (unnamed by BBC in its headline, of course) could be thieves.

    Alternative non-BBC reports on Hamas today:

    ‘Jihadwatch’:

    “UN halts aid to Gaza after Hamas keeps stealing it”

    http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/024740.php

    And –

    ‘Where are the “moderate Palestinians”? New poll shows 55% support suicide bombings’

    [Extract]:

    “Ever since Hamas won the Gaza elections it has become fashionable to refer to the vast majority of peace-loving Palestinians who want to forsake the jihad and coexist with Israel, but who just can’t manage to elect leaders who reflect their deepest desires.

    “The facts, unfortunately, are otherwise.”

    http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/024743.php

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  45. Millie Tant says:

    I notice Clarkson doesn’t seem to be apologizing about what the BBC called “accusing the Prime Minister of lying”. He better hope nobody takes him to court. I understand that, in the UK, libel laws are so bad that one can be successfully sued even if the alleged libelous remark is true.
    David Preiser (USA) | 06.02.09 – 9:20 pm |
    ———————-

    See here:

    http://www.swarb.co.uk/lawb/defTrueLibel.shtml

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  46. GCooper says:

    Those dear old Lefties at the BBC! Who’da thunk it?

    From The Register:

    “The BBC has dropped a controversial tracking system from its UK website after privacy activists complained that it was reporting personal information including their post codes to a US company.”

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/06/bbc_omniture/

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  47. Susan Franklin says:

    Just watched QI. Lots of nasty remarks about Margaret Thatcher. So why does Clarkson have to apologise about Brown?

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  48. TPO says:

    TPO, oi be not local, no, that oi ain’t.
    I’m from well over the county border.

    Chuffer | 06.02.09 – 9:07 pm |

    After your encounter in the Sun @ Dunsfold you’ll know that they don’t say ‘Hi’ in that neck of the woods, its more like ‘Air hairlair’

    Thankfully I don’t get to see QI over here. On one of the PBS networks they are running old episodes of ‘New Tricks’ with Amanda Redman, Dennis Waterman et al.
    Last weeks episode revolved around the murder of a particularly unpleasant and corrupt MP.
    Somewhere in the plot his photo popped up. The MP was wearing an election rossette.
    Was it red? No. – Was it yellow? No. – Was it blue? Of course it was.
    Even in light hearted progs they can’t help themselves.

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  49. martin says:

    David Preiser (USA): Actually David it was an Alabama gas station and they were actors. None the less Jezza does dish it out to everyone, he even gave Boris Johnson a hard time a few weeks ago.

    I do think though if he attacked ‘Moozlums’ for being suicide bombing halfwits (which they are) on a regular basis he’d be off the air.

    I like Jezza but I don’t like the way he attacks America (which is probably why the BBC tolerates him) all the time. A lot of it is fun and to be fair Richard Hammond is a big fan of the US.

    The truth is McFatty One Eye is a complete tosser who is destroying our Country and not only did we not vote for him, we can’t get rid of him yet either.

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  50. Susan Franklin says:

    Grimer

    Fat one-eyed unelected incompetent lying closet-gay scottish imbecile

    added to the list – perhaps with the addition of : incontinent sub prime minister

    says it all.

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