THE BBC’s new director-general Tim Davie last week summarily cancelled the The Mash Report, a programme which satirises the week’s news. As The Mash Report has been running regularly since 2017, one must suppose it generated sufficient audience interest on BBC Two to warrant broadcasting it.However, Mr Davie’s motivation in dropping the show was not professional but political. According to The Sun newspaper, “sources close” to Davie – doubtless Davie himself – told them that the BBC’s entire satire output (including Have I Got News for You) required radical overhaul as it was too biased against the Tories and Brexit.
Of these he cites Scotland Can, These Islands, Scottish Business UK, Scotland in Union, and Scotland Matters. So the idea is to operate through these bodies and not directly have a campaign. They’re aware that Labour are unlikely to repeat the Better Together mistake of 2014. I’m not sure how effective this will be, some of these bodies have a very low profile. Scotland in Union is great at raising money but not so great at spending it – and operate, as a whistleblower showed Bella, in very tight circles of Scottish aristocracy. By definition this is a small group. It has a lot of landed power but not much influence to a wider general public. If you own half of Perthshire you kind of think you’re the bees-knees but it’s unlikely your very street-smart.
HARRY and Megan’s recent allegations about racism in the royal family have reignited debate on the future of the monarchy. There is a predictable banality to this debate. It is almost a choreographed routine. The republican opens with Monarchy is inherently classist and entrenches class divisions . The monarchist counters with Ah, but look how much they do for charity; where would be without Honorary Royal Patrons? From there it inevitably degenerates into tediously trying to off-set the costs of the civil list against tax receipts from the tourist trade – as if fundamental constitutional questions could be settled by means of a spreadsheet.
The TV watchdog Ofcom received more than 41,000 complaints about yesterday s programme. The broadcaster’s chief executive, Dame Carolyn McCall, said yesterday that Kevin Lygo, managing director of media and entertainment, had been in discussion with Morgan regarding his coverage of the Harry and Meghan interview, adding that she believed what the duchess had said to Winfrey, saying: “It’s important everyone does.” Speaking outside his London home this morning, Morgan described his departure from GMB as “amicable”, adding: “I had a good chat with ITV and we agreed to disagree. “I’m just going to take it easy and see how we go.