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It would appear that Iain Lee was dropped as the Christopher Price stand-in yesterday by Robert Nisbit after comments he made about Michael Jackson on Friday.
MediaGuardian story . . .
BBC pulls show after Jackson outburst
Matt Wells
Tuesday September 25, 2001
The BBC was forced to ditch an edition of its entertainment news show, Liquid News, at the weekend amid fears that a maverick presenter's unscripted comments about Michael Jackson's private life would lead to a costly libel suit.
Iain Lee, who used to front the now-defunct 11 O'Clock Show on Channel 4, made unsubstantiated suggestions about the singer's relationship with children during Friday evening's show.
The frothy showbusiness programme, made by BBC News, was broadcast live at 7pm on BBC Choice, straight after the channel's programmes for children had ended.
Producers, aghast at the off-the-cuff comments, decided to pull the regular repeat, which was due to have been broadcast in the early hours of Saturday morning.
It is now expected that Jackson's lawyers will demand to see a tape of the showwith a view to deciding whether the comments were defamatory.
The decision to pull the later broadcast suggests that the corporation already realised the seriousness of the remarks.
A BBC spokeswoman said: 'On reflection, some of the remarks in the live show were deemed unsuitable for repeat. These things do happen in live television.'
The programme has a reputation for being cheeky - but its regular presenter, Christopher Price, is careful not to overstep the boundaries of taste. Price was away on Friday.
Lee has presented the programme before, and often sails close to the wind. Some BBC sources are questioning the wisdom of allowing him to present it, knowing his style.
MediaGuardian story . . .
BBC pulls show after Jackson outburst
Matt Wells
Tuesday September 25, 2001
The BBC was forced to ditch an edition of its entertainment news show, Liquid News, at the weekend amid fears that a maverick presenter's unscripted comments about Michael Jackson's private life would lead to a costly libel suit.
Iain Lee, who used to front the now-defunct 11 O'Clock Show on Channel 4, made unsubstantiated suggestions about the singer's relationship with children during Friday evening's show.
The frothy showbusiness programme, made by BBC News, was broadcast live at 7pm on BBC Choice, straight after the channel's programmes for children had ended.
Producers, aghast at the off-the-cuff comments, decided to pull the regular repeat, which was due to have been broadcast in the early hours of Saturday morning.
It is now expected that Jackson's lawyers will demand to see a tape of the showwith a view to deciding whether the comments were defamatory.
The decision to pull the later broadcast suggests that the corporation already realised the seriousness of the remarks.
A BBC spokeswoman said: 'On reflection, some of the remarks in the live show were deemed unsuitable for repeat. These things do happen in live television.'
The programme has a reputation for being cheeky - but its regular presenter, Christopher Price, is careful not to overstep the boundaries of taste. Price was away on Friday.
Lee has presented the programme before, and often sails close to the wind. Some BBC sources are questioning the wisdom of allowing him to present it, knowing his style.
