The debut of former cultural secretary Nadine Dorries as a presenter has been dubbed “car wreck TV.”
The MP took Piers Morgan’s place on TalkTV Wednesday evening, but she got off to a rough start, floundering and admitting she had “totally botched that up.”
It got worse for Nadine, who was co-presenting with journalist Emily Sheffield, when she mispronounced the name of one of the show’s guests.
“In the two minutes before I switched off, she got her guest’s name wrong then claimed the licence fee was £36billion (it’s 3.8 – and she’s a former cultural sec),” said actor James Anderson in a critical review.
Do you like my new video? pic.twitter.com/lMQ9Mo75t1
— Sooz "Halloween" Kempner (@SoozUK) October 25, 2022
He called the former cabinet secretary’s first appearance “car wreck TV.”
Guest Patrick Barwise, whose first name she mispronounced, corrected the Conservative MP on the licence price.
Ms Dorries stated in a part about the BBC licence fee and Channel 4: “So, Richard, I have to ask you about Channel 4.”
Ms Dorries was then interrupted by the guest, who had to correct his name.
Later, she remarked, “Do you think we should be proud of Channel 4 shows like ‘My Massive C**k,’ did I just say that?”
“I’m not interested in that subject; why is it a significant question?” said Mr Barwise.
Ms Dorries appeared to be overcome by nervousness at the opening of the show.
Ms Dorries was intended to advise viewers what to expect on the show when Ms Sheffield launched the show.
She struggled, though, when discussing the cabinet upheaval, fumbling over her words several times.
“Sorry, I completely botched that up,” she apologised live on TV.
Ms Dorries hinted at her nervousness ahead of the programme, tweeting: “Not the least bit concerned. Nope.”
“It’s car wreck TV but soooo funny,” one Twitter user said of Ms Dorries’ presenting job.
“Absolutely dead at nadine dorries attempting to be a talk tv host,” said another.
In an apparent dig at her political abilities, LBC radio host James O’Brien uploaded a clip from the show’s beginning and said on Twitter: “Oh boy. “I believe Nadine Dorries is better at TV presenting than she is at politics.”
Gary Linekar tweeted, “Not as easy as you think,” with a wobbly mouth emoji when the video went viral.
“Ouch, oh, oh. “Car accident,” actor James Purefoy added.
“I tend to avoid TV these days, and I’m not one of the MPs you see sprinting across the green to the cameras or in and out of TV studios,” Dorries remarked before accepting the post.
“But I’m enthusiastic about TalkTV and the opportunity to do this during what could be one of the most exciting weeks in British politics history,” she added.
