The BBC have apparently turned down a request from Downing Street for Gordon Brown to appear on Match Of The Day 2. The Prime Minister's love of football, particularly Raith Rovers, is well documented, and it's believed he wanted to sit alongside Adrian Chiles and Lee Dixon to talk about England's bid for the 2018 World Cup.
However, after consulting their advisors, show bosses turned down the request after it was decided it would be inappropriate for the PM to appear so close to a general election.
A BBC spokesperson said: "We made the judgment it wouldn't be appropriate in the run-up to the election".
The BBC must stick to strict guidelines about impartiality in the months before a general election, giving equal airtime to representatives of the main political parties.
Tony Blair was the first prime minister to appear regularly on TV outside news and current affairs programmes, agreeing to be a guest on ITV's This Morning on several occasions.
Tony Blair also appeared on Football Focus in 2005.
A BBC insider pointed out it is highly unusual for anyone who is not a pundit to be invited on Match Of The Day or its Sunday spin-off show.
Reader Comments (10)
Mac at 12:33PM on Mar 10th 2010
Did no-one know that Pa Broon turns out for Raith Rovers in a number 10 jersey??
andy grahamme at 1:12PM on Mar 10th 2010
Why should this total pratt be on Match of the Day???? Who the hell wants to listen to him!!! He can't even run the country so how onm earth has he got time to pontificate on football!! I suppose he wants to suck up to football fans to try and gain support and ultimately votes!!!! He is the Accrington Stanley of politics, total tosser!!!!
john chambers at 1:54PM on Mar 10th 2010
How low can he get and to think there are millions of morons who will vote for him. For publicity, any publicity, any votes he will be opening supermarkets, doing the weather, hosting the weekly lottery draw, busking at dole queues, X factor,
He needs to have no door opened for him 'cos he can slither underneath.
Dave Tottman at 1:43PM on Mar 10th 2010
First Gordon Brown goes on the Piers Morgan show
because Morgans one of his best mates and he would get asked the right questions to make him
look good, now he wants to be on match of the day
to show he is one of the lads so vote for me. Well your not one of the lads but you are Scottish so historically you have no interest in English football, so on your bike son.
Morrison at 2:06PM on Mar 10th 2010
He gives Scotland a bad name.---could he not get a part in Rab C
Phil JDK at 2:56PM on Mar 10th 2010
Owwwwwwww,Ijust fell of the seat when I saw that !!!! Let that scottish git on MOTD they have got to be joking,Why dosent he try to get on Mock the Week then the whole programme could be just about what a total tosser that he is.For Gods sake just GO AWAY for ever,Im sick of his voice,his gurning whilst trying to swallow his tongue and his absolute hatred of anything English this man has destroyed our heritage just for votes.The less I see of this lying,odius hypocrite the better.Cheers all
easygoingeezer at 2:57PM on Mar 10th 2010
So he likes football so what. I bet no one making
sneery comments about him has any idea the carnage
unleashed on Britain during the Thatcher years, and its on its way back thanks to the brainless who just want a change but have no idea what its going to be.
Get ready for snobbery, redundancy, high interest,
higher unemployments and as many have nots as they tories can make.
Andrew Pandrew at 4:06PM on Mar 10th 2010
What a pity Mrs T isn't around anymore. Britain would be great again and we would stop opening the doors to these mindless immigrants with their bloody aggressive religious nonsense. Shut all the mosques and lets make Dave our PM.What a great guy!!! Piss off Brown you dozy inarticulate ignorant pratt, and take that bloody common Home Secretary with you. He should be reading out numbers for the bingo at Southend Pier instead of masquerading as a politician.
Bob Hinds at 4:03PM on Mar 10th 2010
You want to be bankrupt and getting worse under Brown's government or bankrupt and getting better under Cameron's? Its your choice, just don't bring Thatcher into it, that was then and this is now. The future is what matters.
mike at 5:46PM on Mar 10th 2010
To all you idiots above who wish for a return to the tories remember this - high unemployment, very high interest rates, very high inflation, massive cuts in NHS, defence, policing, thousands forced out of their homes, the end of the minimum wage, a return to the barbaric act of foxhunting. Need I go on. Things may not be perfect under Brown, I'll admit but give me him over Cameron anyday. He will be a disaster at home, in Europe and on the world stage. Anyone with any ounce of intelligence will see right through him and send him and his party into oblivion for many many more years to come.