Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Roses Are Red ... So Is ITV

So, there's going to a Valentine's Day love in on ITV between Gordon Brown and Piers Morgan. Quite how a Prime Minister being interviewed by one of his best friends on prime time TV meets Ofcom regulations, I'd like to know.

Still, I expect we can now look forward to David Cameron being quizzed by Danny Finkelstein for an hour on ITV a week later.

This no doubt seemed like a good wheeze at the time. I wonder if it will still seem such a good idea the morning after. These things have a habit of blowing up in your face.

20 comments:

Jimmy said...

You'd think promising to destroy the BBC would earn you some gratitude wouldn't you?

Blaad said...

Iain,

I notice a question was asked at PMQs regarding the scandal over 96% of the SIF going to Labour constituencies today.

As usual Brown chose not to answer.

This is ridiculous if true.

Surely more needs to be done to hammer home that this cheating and fraud has been perpetrated?

Tom said...

A programme exclusively featuring Piers Morgan and Gordon Brown, two of the most odious people of modern times?

ITV actually expects people to watch that?

With brilliant executive initiatives like that, no wonder they're struggling at the moment.

NameHere said...

I think it will do Brown some good. He's bound to look less like of a twazzock when he's sat next to Piers Moron.

I Squiggle said...

I wouldn’t be too worried Iain. Piers Morgan’s career is now defiantly in the broadcast media presentation arena. I think he might just want to make his mark with this politico one. If he does a softly one on GB, his next five years might look a bit bleak?

Bird said...

Will the odious Morgan remind Brown how in Number 11 he handed over to the then editor of the Mirror a clandestine tape of Liam Fox speaking at a Tory meeting.
The smirking Chancellor told Morgan that Fox was slagging off the NHS. Could he use it?
(see Piers Morgan Diaries, where he spent half his time in 10 and 11 Downing Street).

JanRamzon said...

I know you think this is criminal, but are you absolutely sure these are the actual figures involved in the interview? Perhaps Socrates Grayling could check? Sorry to hear Abbaworld was a letdown. You can't beat Meryl...

Cogito Dexter said...

Gordon Brown has a best friend?

golden_balls said...

lol

first it was the bbc now itv is in the Tories sights.

Its not a good sign if you've started to see reds under the beds iain. Not everything is a plot to undermine the Tories.

Jon Lishman said...

You are rightly angry about this, Iain. A lot of us viewers, threatened with jail for non-payment of the BBC tax, are too.

The feeling of powerlessness, however, is even more infuriating.

Conand said...

Shane Greer Tweets:

'The Total Politics staff currently stands on the threshold of Abba World. The sense of fear is palpable'

Indeed. Somehow I don't think the Gorgon is going to experience quite the same cathartic degree of fear as he prepares for his really tough interview with [The name that is not said or written].

Martin S said...

Gordon Brown and Piers Morgan

Good God! What a horrible idea!

Unknown said...

I Squiggle

Might look a bit bleak

From where I nice comfy chair in the Lords.

RfS said...

I just watched Emma Crosby take Ann Cryer apart over expenses. Ann tried to sneek in some fluff about "difficult" processes that make screwing the system difficult and Emma kept smiling and correcting her. Cryer got flustered and started to make more silly remarks that also got challenged where she had no comeback.

I swear to god I have not been that turned on that early in the morning since I was a teenager.

Anonymous said...

I take it you won't want to see any Tory MPs on Sky, then?

Iain Dale said...

Dont be an idiot. The objection is not that Brown will be on ITV, it is that he is interviewed by someone who is a close friend.

Anonymous said...

Right. And Sky is owned by somebody who's ideologically rather close to the Tories...

Iain Dale said...

When Sky invite Danny Finkelstein on to interview Cameron I'll accept you have a point. In the meantime, you don't. As you well know.

simon said...

Brian Walden used to interview Margaret Thatcher and he wrote speeches for her. It depends on the quality and independence of the interview, in the end.

And I guess if Danny Finkelstein had a chat show or even some history as a TV interviewer, you might have a valid point.

(Naturally I think Morgan is odious and I doubt very much that he and Brown are friends in anything other than the showbiz/public life debasement of the term - ie 'someone I meet at parties from time to time and may be useful to me').

OldSlaughter said...

Iain, are you comparing Piers Morgan and Danny Finkelstein?
What as Danny done to upset you?

Is there bigger berk in public life than Piers Morgan? Every time I think of Jeremy Clarkson dropping him the edges of my mouth curl upward.