A rightwing Tory MP’s complaint about a Russell Howard comedy show in which he was described as a “windbag” and “toad-faced hypocrite” in Commons debates has been rejected by the BBC Trust.
Philip Davies came under fire in two editions of Russell Howard’s Good News, a topical comedy show that provides the comedian’s “unique perspective on the big stories”.
In November, Howard claimed Davies tried to block proposals to introduce free hospital parking for carers by speaking for 93 minutes in a debate.
And in December, the comedian went after Davies again, citing a debate in which Davies allegedly spoke for 52 minutes against a law to teach pupils first aid.
Howard, who variously referred to Davies as an “arsehole”, “wanker”, “toad-faced hypocrite”, “windbag” and a “shit for brains”, accused Davies of filibustering, or speaking for long periods to slow down a bill passing into law.
Davies lodged a complaint with the BBC that the comments made about him were inaccurate and defamatory and that the show misrepresented him.
The MP succeeded in getting a clarification about some of Howard’s comments published on the Clarifications and Corrections section of the BBC website.
However, not satisfied with this he said that “no satisfactory solution” had been proposed and took his complaint further to the BBC Trust, the corporation’s governing body.
The BBC Trust cannot decide whether a programme is defamatory – that is a matter for the courts – but it investigated Howard’s show to assess whether the content was “fair or duly accurate”.
The BBC Trust said that the satirical nature of the long-running programme was clear to the audience which would expect it to be “biting and bruising” to its targets.
“Those in the public eye, such as politicians, could expect robust criticism,” said the BBC Trust. “Programmes featuring satire and particularly political satire would necessarily be allowed substantially more leeway in their approach to accuracy and fairness than, for example, news or a current affairs programme. To do otherwise, would be to risk an unwarranted curtailment of freedom of expression which would not be acceptable in a democracy.”
The BBC Trust felt that the BBC’s two clarifications published online regarding Davies and his portrayal on the show, as well as an agreement not to air the episodes again, was a “proportionate and appropriate response” by the corporation.
“The [editorial standards] committee agreed that further action was not necessary,” said the BBC Trust.
Davies’s complaint was therefore not upheld.
