Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Frankie, my dear, he don’t give a damn...
CONTROVERSIAL comedian Frankie Boyle is returning to the BBC with a “challenging” news comedy show.
The comic, 44, sparked outrage in the past with jokes on Rebecca Adlington’s appearance and Katie Price’s disabled son Harvey. His quip on Mock The Week about Olympic swimmer Adlington earned a reprimand from the BBC Trust, which branded it “humiliating”. Boyle’s show was not listed on the official announcement for the spring-summer season. Perhaps BBC2 controller Patrick Holland tried to slip it in without fanfare. (Nice try, Patrick.) He said: “If we’re going to be making the channel feel more contemporary and more relevant, we want to be looking at the issues of the day and Frankie is one of those voices that does that. He’s an extraordinarily strong voice and a very passionate voice. “It will be challenging viewing, but it’s important that voices like Frankie’s are heard on BBC2.” But Mr Holland fired a warning shot: “Frankie knows he’s working on the BBC. There are BBC guidelines.” Boyle previously accused the BBC of being “cravenly afraid of giving offence”. Details of his new show are being kept under wraps, but it may reference the general election.
The BBC is producing a drama-documentary on David Cameron’s resignation and Theresa May’s route to No10. The programme, 20 Days – Battle For Supremacy, will air after the election and “lay bare the politicking and positioning, betrayals and blunders”. Other BBC2 highlights include a film telling the inside story of the horrific murder of Jo Cox MP. It has unique access to West Yorkshire Police’s murder investigation, drawing together for the first time all the CCTV and archive footage.