Watch the video as comic takes umbrage at line of questioning

John Cleese says he will make a formal complaint to the BBC – after a journalist challenged him in a discussion about free speech.

The Monty Python star has called for interviewer  Karishma Vaswani to be retrained after taking umbrage at her line of questioning

Appearing on BBC World News via video link, Cleese, 82, was asked about cancel culture and argued that parents should not be over-protective as that does not prepare children for the difficulties of the real world.

After listening to his answer, Vaswani started a question: ‘But John…’ which seemed to rile the comedian. ‘Why do you say but?’ he said three times. ‘Wouldn’t you like to just explore what I’m saying. Let’s try the "but"…’

Vaswani went on to suggest some of his views might be seen as ‘old-fashioned’ and inconsiderate, and asked him whether it was OK for racist comments to be defended as ‘banter’

‘I think it’s a very poor question,’ he said, suggesting it was jumbled.

When Vaswani later turned the conversation towards Dave Chappelle’s comments on trans people,  he said: ‘I’m not interested in doing this interview anymore’, removed his headphones and walked away.

‘The media will no doubt report that I "stormed out",’ Cleese wrote on Twitter. ‘ I didn’t. Nor did I lose my temper. But I was depressed that this kind of presenter-ego crap is so prevalent now.’

Cleese has now said he intends to put in a formal complaint about the ‘deception, dishonesty and tone’ of the interview, which was promoting his live dates in Singapore and Bangkok.

He said the questions asked were ‘not the interview I had agreed to’, adding: ‘Karishma had no interest in a discussion with me. She wanted only the role of prosecutor. The BBC needs to train her again.’

Cleese got his reaction in on social media before the pre-recorded segment had aired on BBC World News.

The BBC has said it was a ‘fair and appropriate interview which touched on topics that John Cleese has previously been vocal about as well as themes within his new tour’.

A spokeswoman added: ‘Our presenter is an excellent and experienced journalist who conducted the interview entirely within our editorial guidelines.’

Cleese is making a programme about cancel culture for Channel 4.

Published: 16 Dec 2021