News has broken of plans to have former British prime minister Boris Johnson host his own program on right-wing nationalistic UK television, radio, and online news channel GB News. (main picture)
But I can report exclusively that GB News executives, while happy with their latest recruitment of a right-wing political figure, are increasingly troubled at the ex-PM's failure to finalise the format for his new show under the contract they've signed with him.
The right-wing GB News which started broadcasting mainly right-wing political news and commentary programs in June 2021 is backed by a consortium of right-wing investors and its content is very much slanted to a right-wing audience, just like the right-wing Murdoch-controlled Sky News here in Australia and the right-wing Fox News Network in the US.
Like Sky and Fox, GB News also maintains that it offers a fair and balanced output, which in my view is absolutely true if you accept that fair and balanced equates to blatantly right-wing.
Boris Johnson will fit right in, or more correctly I should say, Boris will fit right-wing in.
He'll join a large stable of right-wing presenters and right-wing political figures such as Brexit campaign leader Nigel Farage, Conservative MP and former Brexit Opportunities Minister, Jacob Rees-Mogg, and other current or ex-Tory MPs or ministers such as train buff Michael Portillo, along with a long line of similarly right-wing journalists, comedians and presenters.
My sources at GB News tell me that Johnson's contract gives him total control over the format for his new program which has become a major sticking point with GB News executives.
"Boris at first insisted that he wanted to be yet another 'talking head' on GB News and like those on Sky News and Fox News who do nothing much but parrot right-wing ideas down the barrel of the camera," my source said.
"But the head honchos at GB News wanted to strike out in a different direction to help broaden the channel's appeal and output.
"They finally talked Boris into hosting a political panel show and even went to the expense of buying the rights – what else? – to produce a political version of the popular Would I Lie To You? but with Boris in the host's chair instead of Rob Brydon.
"But it soon turned out that an exact replica of WILTY would be too expensive given the need to pay all those panel members. So they staged a couple of rehearsals with just Boris appearing.
"The only trouble has been that the show keeps running short and instead of filling a 30-minute slot it ends after about 40 seconds when straight after the opening titles Boris answers the question Would I Lie to You? by admitting: 'Yes.'
"They're continuing to work on the problem but at the moment I guess the best way to describe Boris's new show is as 'a work in progress'," my source said.
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