
The BBC issued a statement after Ben Elton referred to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as a “narcissistic psychopath” on Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg.
Elton was a panellist on a recent edition of the national broadcaster’s show, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, and plainly did not hold back in expressing his political views.
Elton got loose after seeing Sunak give an interview in which he urged cash-strapped Britons to be strong in the face of possible interest rate rises and said there was ‘no choice’ to battling inflation.
He began by labelling what he just saw as ‘extraordinary Orwellian, meaningless, evasive word salad’.
‘I sort of believed maybe he’s kind of a bit more decent, and it turns out, he’s as much of a mendacious, narcissistic sociopath as his previous boss,’ he continued.
‘This man literally, he seemed to be making a principle of the fact that he resigned from a government that he’d served loyally and tried to keep propped up for numerous years.’
"Turns out [Sunak] is as much of a mendacious narcissistic sociopath as his previous boss"
Comedian Ben Elton describes #BBCLauraK's interview with PM Rishi Sunak as "an extraordinary, Orwellian, meaningless, evasive word salad"https://t.co/O6NHH5m1nw pic.twitter.com/7mNzihAZMl
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) June 25, 2023
He finished by saying: ‘He’s trying to boast about having worried about inflation while he was chancellor of the exchequer under Johnson.’
Some were outraged by his remarks and filed complaints with the BBC, which has finally reacted.
‘We received complaints from some people who were unhappy that Ben Elton featured on the panel and with comments he made as he reacted to Laura Kuenssberg’s interview with the Prime Minister,’ it said in a statement.
Explaining its response, the BBC went on to write that ‘across the series’ the show had featured a ‘wide range of guests, with a broad set of opinions on a variety of subject matters’.
‘The panel are selected to provide differing perspectives and because their experience and backgrounds can add insights which may be of interest to our audience. They are not chosen for their views on one particular issue.’

It was said that after Laura’s ‘in-depth’ conversation with the Prime Minister, she asked the panel for their thoughts on what they had just heard.
‘It was made clear that Ben Elton has never been a supporter of the Conservative party enabling the audience to contextualise his remarks accordingly,’ it explained.
Other panellists, including Luke Tryl, a former Conservative Party advisor and Director of More in Common, ‘gave us insight into what the public are currently thinking about politics and politicians, including some positive feedback about Rishi Sunak,’ according to the BBC.
Following the criticism, Elton refused to back down, claiming that if the Prime Minister had been upset, he should get a thicker skin.
‘I’ve had some slagging off in my time and if that’s the worst he gets he should read some of my reviews,’ he explained to Nick Ferrari on his LBC breakfast show.
‘It was personal from me, he’s a prime minister.’
He added that ‘idea that there’s no alternative than what they’re offering, I’m sorry, it was a personal reaction’.
His outburst prompted a retort from fellow comic Joe Lycett, who cynically suggested that Ben should be locked up.
‘I’m SICK AND TIRED of hearing from so called “comedians” on political shows!!! These are for serious people like Nigel Farage and Dominic Raab!!! Ben Elton should be ASHAMED and JAILED,’ he posted on Twitter.
Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg airs on Sundays at 9am on BBC One.