John Cleese joins GB News and insists it’s ‘not right-wing, it’s a free speech channel’

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John Cleese has revealed his return to television, joining the GB News line-up.

The Monty Python star will host a regular, one-hour show on the broadcaster in the new year, and in speaking about the new move has insisted it’s not ‘not a right wing channel’ but a ‘free speech channel’.

Still, the comic said when he was approached by the network, he ‘didn’t know who they were’.

He told Amol Rajan on Radio 4: ‘I was approached and I didn’t know who they were, I don’t know much about modern television because I’d pretty much given up on it – I mean English television – then I met one or two of the people concerned and I had a dinner with them and liked them every much.

‘People say it’s a right-wing channel, it’s a free speech channel.’

Cleese, 82, will be working with Andrew Doyle and when asked by Rajan about ‘wokeism’ – something Cleese has shared his distaste of – and ‘how big a threat wokeism is to our culture’ he called himself an ‘old fashioned liberal’.

He insisted the broadcaster wasn’t a ring wing channel (Picture: S Meddle/ITV/REX)

He said in America, ‘wokeism’ was ‘worse’, adding: ‘The interesting thing is, the way the woke people conduct their campaign is I thought not very honest.’

Cleese’s former tweets on GB News were brought back up on Monday amid the news, after he asked about ‘Russian interests’ with the broadcaster.

In late August, he tweeted: ‘GB News is sometimes referred to, rather wittily, as ‘KGB News’

‘To what extent is GB News influenced by Russian interests?’

Asked whether he’s received a satisfactory answer to his concern, he replied he’d spoken with Doyle about it and that, ‘I’m satisfied at the moment, but the whole point is, is it free speech or not, and after I start the show, we will find out.’

Alistair Stewart congratulated the newest member of the GB News family (Picture: Danny Martindale/Getty Images)

When questioned about his thoughts on the limits of free speech, the comedian said: ‘Somebody once said to me: “Everyone’s in favour of free speech, particularly for the ideas that they like”.’

Responding to whether free speech should extend to those spreading opinions and misinformation about public health matters, Cleese said: ‘If there’s a factual response to something like that, then that should be made.

‘That’s the job, to put the facts out there, and then to have opinions slightly separate and have a proper argument about it, but not to try to avoid a public debate and then try and get yourself through (on) social media.’

He went on: ‘The nice thing about talking to the GB News audience is that they may not be used to hearing the sorts of things I’ll be saying.

‘The BBC have not come to me and said would you like to have some one-hour shows and if they did I’d say not on your nelly because I wouldn’t get five minutes into the first show before I’d been cancelled or censored.’

More: GB News

GB News’ Alistair Stewart congratulated Cleese on the move, writing: ‘Welcome, @JohnCleese to @GBNEWS

‘As he says, “@gbnews is not a right wing channel, it’s a free speech channel”.’

GB News is expected to confirm more details of the programme shortly.

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