Photo: Twitter
The hosts of Channel 4’s satirical ‘The Last Leg’ were subjected to a torrent of horrendous abuse on Friday night, while broadcasting live. Adam Hills and Alex Brooker, who both have physical disabilities, were on the end of a vile tirade from one unhinged viewer.
As part of the show’s format, viewers are encouraged to participate along with the #IsItOK hashtag on Twitter, while taking a sideways glance at the week in news. When the Gary Lineker situation was brought up, the discussion soon turned toxic online.
The Last Leg is generally a left-leaning show, and has never been afraid to criticise the government. However, even harbouring the most mild of contempt for Tory policies seems to a dangerous pursuit for our broadcasters these days.
Earlier in the week, Lineker lashed out at Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman, for using ‘dangerous language’ with regards to asylum seekers and migrants. The former England striker likened their rhetoric to that used by the German government in the 1930s.
It sparked a near-nuclear fallout, and on Friday, Mr. Lineker was told he would not be allowed to present Match Of The Day this weekend. A mass walkout of his colleagues has now crippled the BBC’s sporting output, with Football Focus and Final Score now pulled from the schedule.
This was the first thing discussed by The Last Leg team – and it prompted a furious response. Adam Hills was called, well, all the names under the sun, and Alex Brooker was also targeted by an ableist slur. Hills then blamed Sunak and Braverman for the ‘incendiary language’.
“We were sent this message at 22:22… it reads; ‘what a f*****g a**hole you are, Australia is s**t, you are a f*****g w****r, you Aussie c**t. You stupid c**t. You are a s**t comedian, you f*****g wanker… and tell that c*****e he is a c***’.”
“So, Suella Braverman and Rishi Sunak, if you’re wondering what you’re language does to people – that happened in real time.” | Adam Hills
