The BBC was criticised today after comic Guz Khan received the plum job of hosting Have I Got News For You despite a string of anti-Israel tweets accusing the Jewish state of ‘genocide’ and ‘ethnic cleansing’.
The Man Like Mobeen star has a history of controversial political remarks, including a racially-charged jibe on Twitter about Priti Patel that led to him being dropped by Uber Eats.
The Coventry-born comic will take charge of this week’s version of Have I Got News for You, which will be aired on BBC One on Friday, December 1.
However, the decision has been criticised by one BBC staffer, who told the Times they were ‘lost for words’ he had been booked given the high probability the conflict in Gaza will be mentioned on satirical current affairs show.
Meanwhile, a senior Tory called the decision ‘appalling’, adding: ‘It is quite clear that the BBC has lost all sense of impartiality and public service standards. No one at the BBC is ever held to account over such decisions.’
Comedian Guz Khan, pictured here at the MOBO Awards in Coventry in 2021, has accused Israel of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Gaza
Guz Khan has been outspoken in his support for Palestine since the Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7
It is not the first time Khan has generated controversy.
In 2020, Khan posted a photo of then Home Secretary Priti Patel pulling a face with the message: ‘Shall we have a curry for dinner tonight Priti?’.
His comment, taken as a racially-charged, incited a string of disgusting responses including that the former Home Secretary was a ‘coconut’ – a vile term for someone accused of betraying their heritage by pandering to white views or opinions.
An ally of Ms Patel said at the time that it was ‘beyond ironic’ that she received ‘racist abuse’ because of tweets from ‘another person of colour’.
Khan has prolifically posted on social media in support of Palestine since the Hamas terror attacks in southern Israel on October 7.
On his X account, the 37-year-old has accused Israel of ‘war crimes’ in its response to the sneak assault by the terrorist group and has accused the Jewish state of ‘occupying’ the Palestinian territory for years.
The BBC has strict impartiality guidelines regarding its news output and on-air talent working in that area, although this does not apply to its comedy programmes.
In 2020, Khan posted a photo of then Home Secretary Priti Patel pulling a face with the message: ‘Shall we have a curry for dinner tonight Priti?’
His comment, taken as a racially-charged, incited a string of disgusting responses including that the former Home Secretary was a ‘coconut’
The former Humanities teacher turned comic, who has also appeared on shows such as Taskmaster and Outsiders, has called the current situation in Palestine ‘apartheid’ and an ‘occupation’ by Israel.
On the day of the Hamas attacks, Mr Khan retweeted Greece’s former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, who wrote: ‘The path to ending the tragic loss of innocent lives – both Palestinian and Israeli – begins with one crucial first step: the end of the Israeli occupation and apartheid.’
Following Israel’s response to the attacks, which saw it pound Gaza City and northern areas of the Palestinian territory with air strikes for weeks, he accused the country of war crimes.
He tweeted: ‘Ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians. The system is setup in the West so that Israel have total, utter impunity to commit these war crimes. How can they wield this level of power? It’s frightening. Just know, one day, it could be you.’
He has also retweeted social media posts accusing Israel of ‘genocide’ against the people of Gaza and criticised politicians in the UK for their support of the country.
has contacted the BBC for comment.
Khan’s slur against Ms Patel saw him being dropped as the face of Uber Eats