Comedian Harry Enfield was abruptly cut off by the hosts of BBC's The One Show after making a joke about former Labour politician Peter Mandelson during a live broadcast. Enfield appeared to promote his new tour, Harry Enfield And No Chums, and discussed his favourite character, 'Nicey', an ageing radio host from the 'Smashie and Nicey' sketches.
Describing the character, Enfield said: “The Peter Mandelson of pop, I call him. He keeps on coming back at you.” Host Roman Kemp responded with an awkward laugh, while co-host Alex Jones quickly moved the conversation on, saying: “Gosh, we'll leave that there.”
Viewers took to social media to comment on the tense moment. One wrote: “I think The One Show were quite pleased they ran out of time with Harry Enfield there...” Another joked: “Harry Enfield’s never going to be allowed back on.” A third added: “You can only imagine the producers screaming down the earpiece!”
Later in the segment, Enfield recounted an anecdote about a former girlfriend's father who castrated piglets in front of him as a warning. Kemp interrupted, asking: “Where is this going, Harry? It's a tea time show.” After Enfield reassured the presenters, he finished the story, prompting Kemp to apologise 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 commented: “I love Harry Enfield. Roman Kemp was rude there. Harry didn't say anything wrong, and it ruined the interview.”
