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Charlie Brooker has explained the absence of Piers Morgan from his recent satirical show Antiviral Wipe.
Earlier this week, the Black Mirror creator debuted the latest in his Wipe series, taking an irreverent look at the last few months, and the key events that have taken place since the coronavirus outbreak.
Viewers loved the show, particularly its satirical take on the government and the media, but one figure who was left out of the hour-long special was Piers Morgan.
In the last few months, the divisive daytime host has won praise from some unlikely places, due to his interviewing technique while interviewing government officials about coronavirus on Good Morning Britain.
However, in an interview with GQ published the day Antiviral Wipe aired, Brooker noted that “we haven’t got any Piers Morgan in the show”.
Insisting it wasn’t a deliberate choice, he said: “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.”
Brooker added: “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 man himself didn’t seem to put off by the snub, though, joking: “Oh no, I’m now too angelic to be trashed by[Charlie Brooker] – this is a disaster.”
He later praised the show in a separate tweet:
Last week, Piers was left fuming over a supposed ban on government officials appearing on Good Morning Britain, tweeting: “The UK Govt has banned any ministers from appearing on [Good Morning Britain] after a series of them made complete fools of themselves in the face of basic & important questions. This is a pathetic & cowardly response to THEIR shameful incompetence.”
HuffPost UK contacted Downing Street for comment at the time, but did not receive a response.
