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AHA-Lambda

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,814
www.independent.co.uk

BBC cancels The Mash Report in perceived crackdown on network’s ‘left-wing bias’

Broadcaster said it needed to ‘make room’ for new comedy shows

The BBC has cancelled Nish Kumar'sThe Mash Report.
The comedian's satirical show ran for four seasons and covered political issues such as Brexit. The BBC has now announced that it will not return for a fifth series.
Kumar's show, on which Rachel Parris heavily featured, has became the subject of controversy concerning criticism that BBC's comedy output is perceived as having a left-wing bias.

A spokesperson for the network confirmed that the programme has been axed to "make room" for new comedy show.

Former BBC presenter Andrew Neil has previously criticised The Mash Report as "self-satisfied, self-adulatory, unchallenged left-wing propaganda".

Bastards.

Lock if old
 

GokouD

Member
Oct 30, 2017
1,128
Fucks sake...Once this pandemic settles down I need to get serious about moving to New Zealand. This country is finished.
 

Senator Toadstool

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
16,651
Never seen it but how does comedy not have a left wing bias? I've never seen a funny right wing show
 

Ravensmash

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,797
Show do get cancelled for many reasons.

There's been a widespread belief amongst more left-leaning voices on Twitter that this was the result of a 'crackdown' but I'm yet to see anything which indicates that is the case.

Many comedy shows take aim at those in power, and I don't think The Mash Report was a particularly exceptional example in comparison to other shows.

The conflation seems to be a dubious article which popped up on right-wing sites a few months back about Davie wanting 'less left-wing' comedy, but that was very poorly sourced and was apparently rubbished by Davie himself. The articles pushing this same narrative now are equally bereft of information and making assumptions.

I just hope people don't buy into what may be an inference which is being pushed by the Telegraph/Sun et al who've complained about the show in the past, and are subscribing to their narrative of a 'culture war' uncritically.
 

Cocolina

Member
Oct 28, 2017
7,993
there's some conflation in the article between what Andrew Neil said and what anyone from the BBC actually said and why it's been cancelled, let's see what they replace it with
 

DarthMasta

Member
Feb 17, 2018
3,955
Wonder if Netflix is looking for a weekly news show from a presenter with a British accent? Probably would have to go more into international / US issues though....
 

Persephone

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,455
Britain if the BBC actually had a left-wing bias

future.jpg
 

BassForever

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
29,955
CT
What were the ratings? No cable tv company would cancel a show that brings in the ratings.
 

slider

Member
Nov 10, 2020
2,719
Has there ever been anything funny from the right wing? I've only paid a bit of attention in the last couple of years but from the vague recollections I have, it was kinda shit.

Never seen the Mash Report though.

Edit: Should have read the OP more closely.
 

OtakuCoder

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,387
UK
The BBC recently announced that BBC Three, which focuses on YA demographics, will be returning to broadcast. With that in mind the whole "We need to clear room for other comedies!" excuse really doesn't hang, as the show would surely be an ideal candidate for drawing eyeballs to that channel.
 

MrKlaw

Member
Oct 25, 2017
33,088
its an anti-establishment bias. When the labour party were in power it was against stupid shit they did. Now its pushing against stupid shit the tories are doing. Its always been like this - HIGNFY, Spitting Image, Mash report - its what this kind of comedy does and this is exactly why it should be protected from government interference. Becuase governments are cunts no matter what persuasion
 

astro

Member
Oct 25, 2017
57,034
Hey people on the right: if you don't want left wing bias in your news feeds, then maybe stop doing so much shit that needs to be called out or mocked for its absurdity.

Also, holding people to account and mocking shitty actions shouldn't be seen as "left wing", it should be something both sides do for themselves.
 

Steel

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
18,220
The shitty thing about the nature of news is that even without profit-motive the goal and metric of success is the same: maximize viewership. Which means they have a bias towards equivocating things that aren't equal, at best.
 

Ravensmash

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,797
Incredible how far the BBC has fallen in the last 5 years

I don't think there's any evidence they've actually done anything wrong here, beyond cancelling a show.

And shows get cancelled all the time for various reason - it had 4 series' - may just be that they think its run its course.

The Sun/Telegraph et al want to see this as BBC Comedy cracking down on 'woke lefties' and I don't think it's helpful for people to subscribe to that narrative uncritically - that's their narrative (based on their own outrage and their own dubious articles), not necessarily reality.

Re: the 'crackdown' - remember that this was a narrative pushed by right-wing papers last year under the guise of 'sources close to' and similar vacuous nonsense to excite their readerbases, which was subsequently rubbished by the DG

There's no war on left-wing comedy, says new BBC boss : News 2020 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide

There's no war on left-wing comedy, says new BBC boss - But Tim Davie DOES want a wider range of viewpoints on air

"When asked directly about him addressing bias in comedy, Davie said: 'I've no idea where that came from.

'Reading some of the commentary is ridiculous. Comedy has always been poking at authority. If a particular government is in charge you probably do get a bit more edge against those in power, that's how it works. And, by the way, I want good satire on the BBC. I like being adventurous.

'What I do think though, is the same as my framework for overall impartiality. The BBC should not come from a platform from when there's an assumed point of view. It's not just about left and right, it's different people.'"

Also worth pointing out that TMR was one of the few shows which had a self-styled right-leaning comedian on it as a point!
 
Last edited:

Zampano

The Fallen
Dec 3, 2017
2,238

This interview with Nish about all this BBC stuff was really good. His thoughts on right-leaning comedy are spot on.

Conservative cancel culture at it again.
 

Deleted member 2533

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
8,325
So the argument is that there should be a satirical news show that doesn't go after the party in power?
 

Deleted member 16516

User requested account closure
Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,427
Leave.EU mocked the demise of the Bafta-nominated show on Twitter.

They wrote: "Here's a Kumar-style joke: "What's funny about The Mash Report?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Now for the BBC to fire all the other unashamedly, lefty cretins, from its payroll and programming or face being defunded."

These fucks are still at it.
 
Oct 25, 2017
1,659
Hull, England
I watched the show and to be honest it just wasn't that funny and I do love comedy which mocks the government or right wing idiots but this show at least for me just wasn't that good and I can see why It got cancelled.

The idea the BBC have a left wing bias though is a load of crap, the same network that had Farage on question time countless times over the years and lots of other right wing people.
 

ronpontelle

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,645
Comedy at the BBC is definitely more left leaning. There are different elements of the BBC that lean in different directions, or anti/pro establishment; comedy is definitely one that leans left/anti establishment.

I thought the show was pretty shit to be honest. It felt forced and the delivery didn't seem to come naturally to the hosts.
 

Moss

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,207
Shame that it is cancelled. I really liked those segments with Rachel Parris, She's the best.
 

nekkid

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
21,823
I'm surprised it took them this long. It's always surprised me how openly critical of the right wing the comedy on the BBC largely was.

Yet another reason for them to terminate the licence fee.
 

KingK

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,859
Never seen it but how does comedy not have a left wing bias? I've never seen a funny right wing show
Right, that's what I'm thinking lol. Vast majority of comedians seem to be at least somewhere on the left side of the spectrum.

Probably because most "conservative comedy" is just bullying and demeaning minorities...
 

Holmes

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
3,344
Damn. I love Nish. Never saw his show because I'm not British and don't have the BBC but this is shitty.
 

whatsinaname

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,069
Anecdotal - but most of the BBC comedy panel shows over the last 2 years have started sounding really dodgy to me tbh. Especially stood out during the pandemic and post brexit.
 

Brotherhood93

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,804
Nish Kumar and The Mash Report are terrible and should have been cancelled because of that. However, the BBC is fucked, run by Tories for the Tories.