Toe curling moments in political television (apologies for inaccurate transcription from memory but this is broadly correct):
Question Time, BBC1, 7 October 2004. Dimbleby declares that only 60 seconds remain of the programme. Nation thanks its lucky stars but hunkers down, realising that this can only mean a “light-hearted question”.
Rube in the audience: What was the last CD you bought?
Panel: blah blah blah Snowpatrol blah blah
Nation: yawn.
Patricia Hewitt: I bought a CD of Haydn arias. It’s lovely, lovely music, you know. But [mischievous look] I wish I’d bought the Busted CD because they’re the only pop group the Tories have and if the Tories get back in it will be a return to boom and Busted!
Audience: [smattering of embarrassed laughter]
Faceless Tory Bloke: Ah yes [waves pen in direction of PH to signify oncoming witticism] but on that CD there is a song called “3000 AD” and after we’ve got Labour out this time we hope they won’t get in again until then.
Audience: [….]