Nigel Farage roasted for claiming he was ‘banned’ from appearing on Desert Island Discs
In response, the Reform leader has called for the BBC licence fee to be abolished
Nigel Farage has been roasted for claiming he was ‘banned’ from featuring on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs.
In response to not being invited onto the show, he called for the BBC’s licence fee, which is the primary source of the broadcaster’s funding, to be abolished.
While Reform has claimed he has been ‘banned’ from the show, according to a new biography on Farage by Tory peer Lord Ashcroft, Reform asked the BBC if he could be a guest, as Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch have been in the past, but were told they had no space in their schedule.
Yesterday, the Daily Mail reported that Desert Island Discs has “banned” Farage.
A Reform source told The Times: “We approached the BBC as we thought it would be a no-brainer with Keir and Kemi going on, but it would appear they have a ban on Reform — the party has led in the opinion polls for well over a year. This is the typical BBC bias we have come to expect.”
In a statement, the BBC said “We do not ban any individuals from appearing on Desert Island Discs and that includes Mr Farage.”
Online, people noted that Farage had turned down 12 requests to appear on Newsnight to answer questions about the undeclared £5 million gift he received from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.
Farage has also appeared on BBC Question Time 38 times between 2000 and 2024, placing him among the show’s most regular panellists.
Farage has been ridiculed for claiming he has been banned from Desert Island Discs and for calling for the BBC licence fee to be abolished.
One X user, Adam Boulton commented: “Seems a bit extreme since there is no actual evidence that there is any Desert Island Disc ban on @Nigel_Farage (there certainly should not be). He appears frequently elsewhere @BBC”.
Journalist Nick Cohen reacted by saying: “For goodness sake, this whining narcissist is never off the BBC but he’s still complaining. Imagine what he would do to free media if he took power.”
David Yelland wrote: “Reality is Nigel Farage is on the BBC so often that this itself has become an issue according to his opponents and many in the media. A RIDICULOUS story.”
Dr Iain Overton said: “Farage wants to destroy the BBC because he hasn’t been invited onto Desert Island Discs. What sort of fragile egomaniac is he?”.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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