The BBC has said it will stand by former Downton Abbey star Dan Stevens after his anti- Boris Johnson rant live on The One Show was the subject of more than 100 complaints.
The 39-year old poked fun at the Prime Minister earlier this month during an interview with presenters Alex Jones and Jermaine Jenas about his latest role in the new TV series, Gaslit, which first aired on StarzPlay on Sunday (April 24).
Stevens caught the pair off guard, however, when asked to explain what his new show was about.
"What you've got is a criminal for a leader who is wrapped in a messy war, embroiled in a stupid scandal and surrounded by ambitious idiots and really should resign," he said.
But the show was stunned when Stevens quickly quipped: "No, I’m sorry that's the intro to Boris Johnson."
As the camera panned back to presenters Jones and Jenas, the pair were both seen trying to keep straight faces, with the latter forced to turn his head away.
Stevens' jibe followed hot on the heels of news that the PM had received a fixed penalty of £50 by the Metropolitan Police Service for breaching lockdown rules by attending a Downing Street party for his birthday.
It resulted in a total of 102 complaints.
However, a statement on the BBC's web site reads: "The One Show is a live topical entertainment programme where the hosts are joined by a variety of guests to discuss a broad range of subjects.
"Actor Dan Stevens was a guest on Wednesday 13 April and made comments about Boris Johnson in response to a question from the hosts about his new TV project before going on to talk about the series.
"These comments were taken in jest and the hosts moved the conversation on to the focus of the interview."
Stevens, who is best known for his role as Matthew Crawley in Downtown Abbey, left the period drama in 2012 after his character was killed off.
In his new role in political thriller Gaslit - a true story focused on the 1970's Watergate Scandal - he stars alongside Julia Roberts and Sean Penn as Whitehouse counsel John Dean.
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