GB News host John Cleese attacks hiring of ‘serial liar’ Boris Johnson by his new employer
New GB News host John Cleese hit out at the channel’s decision to hire “serial liar” Boris Johnson ahead of the launch of his own show.
The former Monty Python star’s show Dinosaur Hour was due to its first episode on Sunday night, with guests in future episodes slated to include Stephen Fry, Caitlyn Jenner, Tim Rice and Trevor McDonald.
However, after the revelation that Boris Johnson will soon also be joining the right-wing TV channel, the outspoken comic, 84, made his dissent clear.
“I can hardly believe that GB News will give this proven serial liar his own programme,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.
GB News has so far only ordered ten episodes from Cleese, more than a year after it announced to much fanfare that the Python legend had been signed up for what was initially described as a regular one-hour slot.
Since the announcement, however, Cleese has made no secret of his disdain for some of the “nasty vulgar rubbish” aired on the network – which he referred to as “KGB News” again in a newspaper interview on Sunday.
“KGB News came to me with the best offer I’ve ever had from a TV company,” he told The Sunday Times.
“Normally, you have these executives who think they know more about comedy than you do, who tell you what they think is funny.
“It is like an accountant telling a novelist how to write a plot. But they said: ‘Make ten programmes and you can do exactly what you want,’ which is remarkable.
“I know that a lot of people have it in for GB News and, to be fair, I don’t agree with the opinions of some of its presenters.
“But I have had carte blanche to say what I want and to be as silly or as serious as I want. We may even do a second series.”
While nearly all of GB News’ schedule consists of live content, the interviews for Cleese’s show were pre-recorded, and were filmed at Hedingham Castle in Essex rather than at the channel’s London studios. The show is executive produced by Andrew Doyle, a trusted regular at the network.
Cleese previously confessed that he had struggled to convince celebrities to sign up to appear on the show, claiming that they are “frightened of getting fired” for discussing “woke” issues.
While GB News has taken action against staff who criticise colleagues or the channel itself, Cleese is thought to be exempt from those rules.
A GB News source said: “There are different rules for staff. John Cleese isn’t on a contract, he is presenting a show which runs for a fixed number of episodes. People not on staff are allowed to be critical within bounds of free speech.”
Mr Johnson will be joining GB News ahead of the UK general election and the US elections, it was announced on Friday.
The former prime minister said he will offer his “unvarnished views on everything from Russia, China, the war in Ukraine, and how we meet all of those challenges, to the huge opportunities that lie ahead for us”.
Mr Johnson’s signing for GB News comes on top of his role as a Daily Mail columnist on what was claimed to be a seven-figure contract.
