BBC schedulers pulled comedy panel show Have I Got News For You just minutes before it was due to air.
The official Twitter account of HIGNFY suggested the axing of the episode of due to the pending Euro elections while BBC One ran a repeat of Would I Lie to You? instead.
The tweet read: “Sorry everyone. The BBC have pulled tonight’s edition of #HIGNFY - no, we didn’t book Danny Baker.
“We booked Heidi Allen, a member of a party no-one knows the name of (not even the people in it), because the Euro elections, which nobody wants, may or may not be happening. Sorry.”
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Heidi Allen is the MP for South Cambridgeshire and acting leader of the Change UK - The Independent Group alongside Liverpool Wavertree MP Luciana Berger. The group spilt away from both Labour and the Conservatives to form a new centrist party earlier this year.
Ms Allen herself tweeted about the decision: "Maybe I'm just not as funny as Nigel Farage eh @hignfy #haveigotnews !? He's so funny, he seems to be on the BBC all the time!
"An explanation would be appreciated, not least to acknowledge the hard work of the entire crew who worked diligently to put the show together."
Baffled viewers also took to Twitter, one said: "BBC in utter chaos. Farage is on wall to wall, literally every single day, but Heidi Allen can't be on a satirical news quiz. What on earth is going on. @BBCOne @HIGNFY"
Pointless presenter Richard Osman tweeted: "Regarding cancellation of tonight’s # HIGNFY because of Heidi Allen. Incorrect decision though I think it is, comedy shows find impartiality and ‘equal screen-time’ laws far trickier than news programmes in the lead-up to all elections. Always been that way, if that’s of interest."
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A BBC statement said: "The BBC has specific editorial guidelines that apply during election periods.
"Because of this it would be inappropriate to feature political party leaders on entertainment programmes during this short election period, which does not allow for equal representation to be achieved.
"So we will not broadcast the scheduled episode of HIGNFY featuring Heidi Allen, leader of Change UK. We will look to broadcast this episode at a later date."
