Given the satirical nature of Have I Got News For You, its post-watershed scheduling, and the fact a warning had preceded the programme, the ECU took the view the language used did not have the potential to cause widespread offence. The issues the programme raised had all made headline news and the ECU did not agree it was biased against Mr Johnson to allude to them. The BBC’s commitment to “due impartiality” means context, including subject matter and audience expectation, needs be taken into account. The programme was broadcast to mark Boris Johnson’s departure as Prime Minister under controversial circumstances and in the ECU’s view audiences were unlikely to turn to a satirical panel show for direction in forming their political opinion. As a result the ECU found no breach of the BBC’s obligations on impartiality.
Not Upheld