Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Charlie Brooker left Piers Morgan out of Antiviral Wipe because he’d have to be ‘nice’ about him

Good Morning Britain presenter ‘obviously thrives on antagonising people’

Ellie Harrison
Saturday 16 May 2020 05:36 EDT
Comments
Piers Morgan says he'd change 'absolutely everything' over how UK government responded to coronavirus

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Charlie Brooker’s Antiviral Wipe took aim at Boris Johnson, 5G conspiracy theorists and earnest celebrities – but one controversial man who emerged unscathed was Piers Morgan.

The Good Morning Britain presenter, who is constantly making headlines for dividing public opinion, would usually be perfect parody fodder for Black Mirror creator. However, in recent weeks he has become an “unlikely left-wing hero” for holding the government to account during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Oddly, we haven’t got any Piers Morgan in the show, that’s just occurring to me,” Brooker told GQ. “Probably because it would have meant I would have to say something nice about him.

“He’s an odd fish, isn’t he? Because he obviously thrives on antagonising people, and so when he’s antagonising the right people from whatever your viewpoint then he’s a bit of a hero.

“I suppose in some ways it’s refreshing because he does seem to actually relish being disliked by half the population at any given time.”

The one-off comedy reunited fans with Diane Morgan and Al Campbell’s comic commentators Philomena Cunk and Barry S**tpeas, respectively.

It has been hailed by viewers as “the winner of lockdown telly” and was awarded four stars by The Independent’s critic Adam White, who wrote: “Brooker seamlessly weaves our current woes with the corruptions and exceptionalist nonsense of the Brexit campaign, balancing poo jokes with a simmering and necessary rage.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in