DEAR ALL

I know you do not sign up to this list for my opinions but this has been an important week for comedy.

The time line goes like this;

MONDAY – New BBC DG Tim Davie announces that on Thursday he will make a speech about how the BBC must include diverse viewpoints.

TUESDAY – The Conservatives’ newspaper The Daily Telegraph says “BBC insiders” have said Davie wants to crack down on “left wing” comedy, citing Mock The Week, HIGNFY and Nish as examples. This story is picked up, as if it were fact not speculation, by all other right wing papers, and others that should know better, framing a debate in news, on-line and social media about how there is too much ‘left wing’ comedy entirely on terms already dictated by right wing media and the Conservatives. People who should know better participate in these debates despite the fact there is no hard evidence that Tim Davie intends his crack down on comedy.

THURSDAY – Tim Davie does his actual speech. He praises FLEABAG and THIS COUNTRY and says nothing of a crackdown on comedy. His speech did not contain the points and threats the Telegraph specifically, and right wing media (i.e the media) generally said ‘BBC insiders’ had told them it did. Who were these ‘BBC insiders’?

After the speech Davie does an in-house BBC webcast where he is asked about his crackdown on left-wing comedy. He says, “Reading some of the commentary is ridiculous. Comedy has always been poking at authority. If a particular government is in charge you probably do get a bit more edge against those in power, that’s how it works. And, by the way, I want good satire on the BBC. I like being adventurous.” He says he has no idea where the story came from. Let us help him. It came from The Telegraph and The Conservatives, dishonestly fanning the flames of a culture war to distract from the Covid-Brexit government’s many failings.

By the time this clarification leaks out to the only media source interested in covering it (Chortle, below) the damage has been done. The deliberate suggestion has been planted, by a client media, that comedy is too left wing and will be clamped down on.

In short. DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT THE RIGHT WING PRESS TELL YOU ABOUT ANYTHING. If they can lie like this about something like comedy, what else are they lying about? Everything, presumably.

Here is the Chortle piece.

Stew

There’s no war on left-wing comedy, says new BBC boss

But Tim Davie DOES want a wider range of viewpoints on air

New BBC director-general Tim Davie has dismissed ‘nonsense’ and ‘ridiculous’ speculation that he wants to shut down left-wing comedy.

A debate on the Corporation’s comedy output has been raging all week since the Daily Telegraph suggested some satirical shows could be axed if they failed to redress a perceived political bias.

In his first public speech in the job yesterday, Mr Davie – who was once deputy chairman of a local Conservative party in London – did not address the issue.

But in an interview broadcast internally to BBC staff, and obtained by Chortle, he offered reassurances that comics would still be allowed to bash the Conservative government.

However, he did say he wanted to ‘to nurture brilliant writers from all kind of perspectives’ and hear a wider variety of viewpoints – which might suggest allowing more pro-Tory, pro-Brexit gags if he felt they weren’t sufficiently represented on air.

When asked directly about him addressing bias in comedy, Davie said: ‘I’ve no idea where that came from.

‘Reading some of the commentary is ridiculous. Comedy has always been poking at authority. If a particular government is in charge you probably do get a bit more edge against those in power, that’s how it works. And, by the way, I want good satire on the BBC. I like being adventurous.

‘What I do think though, is the same as my framework for overall impartiality. The BBC should not come from a platform from when there’s an assumed point of view. It’s not just about left and right, it’s different people.’

He likened his aims to the publicly stated policy of ensuring there was always at least one woman on panel shows.

‘We didn’t have enough diversity on our panels. We did it [addressed it], it’s brilliant and it adds more flavour,’ he said.

‘I would like a multitude of flavours in our comedy. It’s not about stopping one [side]… that’s just nonsense.’

Here is the recording.