Comedian Harry Enfield was awkwardly cut off by hosts of The One Show after making a joke about former Labour politician Peter Mandelson live on air. Enfield appeared on the BBC programme to discuss his new tour, Harry Enfield And No Chums, and the conversation turned to his favourite character, 'Nicey', an ageing radio host from the 1990s sketch show Smashie and Nicey.
Describing the character, Enfield said: 'The Peter Mandelson of pop, I call him. He keeps on coming back at you.' Host Roman Kemp let out an awkward laugh, while co-star Alex Jones swiftly moved the segment on, saying: 'Gosh, we'll leave that there.' Viewers took to social media to comment on the moment, with one writing: 'I think The One Show were quite pleased they ran out of time with Harry Enfield there.'
Mandelson, who served in cabinet roles under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, has faced criticism over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Earlier this month, Mandelson stepped down from the House of Lords following the release of the Epstein files.
Later in the segment, Enfield recounted an anecdote about the inspiration for his character Mr Don't, involving a girlfriend's father who castrated piglets in front of him. Kemp interrupted, asking: 'Where is this going, Harry? It's a tea time show.' After Enfield reassured him, the story continued, and Kemp later apologised to viewers: 'Apologies if you are eating dinner or anything like that.'
Some viewers criticised the presenters' handling of the interview. One said: 'What on earth is wrong with the imbecile BBC? Harry Enfield said nothing at all of any consequence.' Another added: 'Roman Kemp was rude there. Harry didn't say anything wrong, and it ruined the interview.'
